Mexico losing out to Jamaica as favoured holiday destination

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After advisories recommended that travellers avoid Mexico due to the swine flu outbreak, holidaymakers began to flock to Jamaica, Egypt and the Dominican Republic instead, according to new data released by TUI Travel.

In recent weeks, despite concerns about the H1N1 virus, long-haul travel demand has increased. Last month, when news of the swine flu first broke, airline and holiday company shares were hit hard, on fears of reduced demand.

Jamaica is experiencing a 30 per cent rise in bookings, Egypt a rise of 23 per cent, and the Dominican Republic is reporting a 19 per cent increase in bookings over the last two weeks. The figures were provided by TUI Travel, the parent company of Thomson Holidays and the largest tour operator in Europe.

The travel company added that when the flu outbreak was revealed, only 10 per cent of its 2,500 customers already in Mexico accepted TUI’s offer of returning home early.

In other travel news, TUI noted that the strong euro continues to have a negative impact on demand for eurozone holidays. Bookings to non-eurozone countries have risen from 29 per cent to 32 per cent – with Egypt and Turkey reaping the greatest benefit.

The tour operator also indicated that over the past eight weeks, summer holiday sales have improved, and although the overall number of package holidays sold is down, TUI has a reduced inventory this year and has been able to maintain higher prices.

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