Spaniards increase early booking rate for summer holidays by 30%

• The Spanish source market, which traditionally has a high rate of last-minute bookings, is experiencing a significant change in trend this year according to Bedsonline booking data.
• Top summer destinations are New York, Riviera Maya, San Francisco, Majorca and Orlando.
• Bookings made a year in advance have seen the highest increase.

Palma,  February 1^st , 2018- Bedsonline, the leading global provider of online accommodation and ancillary products which exclusively caters to travel agencies, has announced that early bookings for the summer period —from June to September—for Spain as a  source market have grown by 30 % compared to last year.[1]

Meanwhile bookings made one year in advance are those that have experienced the most significant boost, with an increase of 43% compared with the previous year. This is followed by bookings made  nine months in advance, with an increase of 25%.

This data is especially relevant considering the fact that, traditionally, bookings by Spaniards are usually made at the last minute, when compared to other markets such as the United Kingdom or Germany.

Top summer destinations from the Spanish source market are New York, Riviera Maya, San Francisco, Majorca and Orlando. Despite the recent recovery of Turkey and Egypt as destinations, Majorca has consolidated itself as one of the preferred destinations for Spanish tourists during this year´s summer holidays.

Carlos Feliu, Sales Director of Bedsonline, commented “this year we are detecting a considerable change in the booking habits of Spanish tourists. Compared to other markets such as the UK or Germany, Spaniards´ summer bookings are traditionally made last minute. Nevertheless, this year we have noticed an important increase of early bookings, up by 30% compared to the previous year.

“This change in trend can be attributed, to a large extent, to the recovery of the economy following two years of sustained growth. Additionally the high hotel occupancy in Spain last summer may have also encouraged Spanish tourists to book their vacations earlier in order to not miss out.”

“City breaks and sun & beach destinations are still the favorites of Spaniards, with New York, Riviera Maya, San Francisco, Majorca and Orlando the most in demand.”

[1] This data concerns bookings to date made through the Bedsonline platform for reservations for the months of June to September 2018.