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While many leave the beach and head back to reality this week, Flight Centre has seen a surge in bookings and website visits as it seems Kiwis are trying to get over their post-holiday blues by booking their next one.
Newly released data from the travel retailer shows that since Monday, January 8, when many started back at work, Flight Centre NZ bookings are up 25 per cent compared to the prior week and up 20 per cent compared to an average week in the prior month.
Similarly, the number of people visiting the Flight Centre NZ website has increased by 35 per cent for the week of January 8-14 compared to the week prior.
Flight Centre NZ general manager Heidi Walker says it’s typical at this time of the year that we dream about our next holiday.
“Coming back to reality after time off with friends and family can be hard. A good way to get over this is to have another holiday to look forward to later in the year. We’re seeing plenty of customers already take action by booking a trip with us.”
In terms of destinations, it seems Kiwi travellers are keen to follow the sun – with bookings to the United States and United Kingdom being popular mid-year to take advantage of the Northern Hemisphere summer.
“London is our most booked destination outside of New Zealand and Australia, with travellers often flying to London as a first stop before heading to Europe. While the UK and Europe are mostly popular for couples and solo travellers, Los Angeles has become a popular destination for families.
“Closer to home, usual favorites such as Fiji and Rarotonga are also popular mid-year and especially so over the school holiday breaks.”
For those who may be looking to lock in some travel for 2024, Heidi has some good news: “We are seeing a number of sales pop up at the moment so you can jump on some sharp deals.”
Right now if you book through Flight Centre NZ’s website you can fly to LA for $1299 return, $685 return to Fiji and $999 return to Tokyo. These deals are getting close to pre-pandemic prices.
“It’s exciting to be entering a year of travel where we’re seeing the return of seasonal patterns and sales. It’s something we’ve been waiting for, for some time as an industry, and we know Kiwis will be energised by this as well. There’s no better time to book a holiday than today!”
