Holiday bookings are surging with British travellers leading the rush back to the beaches. The parent company of TUI, the UK's largest tour operator, has more than halved its losses for the past six months as it hailed a strong recovery in customer demand for the summer.
The travel group said its UK operation “continues to lead the way” for summer bookings, which currently show an 11 per cent increase against the levels seen in summer 2019. The company reported an earnings loss of £525 million for the half-year to March 31, following a £1.11 billion loss for the same period a year earlier.
However, it suggests it could return to profit by the end of the year as a result. TUI said it expects a “strong” summer and has already achieved 85 per cent of the booking levels seen in summer 2019, before it was hit by Covid travel lockdown.
