Record-Breaking Number of U.K. Holidays Taken as People Pursue Get-Togethers

This surge in holiday bookings is driven by a desire to escape from everyday life and engage more with friends and family in relaxed settings.

The Travel Association reveals the average number of holidays taken per person has reached a new high – more than any other point since ABTA’s data began in 2011 – as more people book their holidays with travel agents and tour operators.

The findings are from ABTA’s new Holiday Habits 2024-25 report¹, launched today (Tuesday 8 October) at the ABTA Travel Convention in Greece.

ABTA says that the proportion of people who went on holiday over the past 12 months was the same as the year before (84%), yet the number of holidays taken per person has increased.

People took an average of 3.94 holidays, up from 3.42 the previous year, and overtaking the previous peak of 3.91 in 2019. Travellers also took more trips abroad, with an average of 1.7 trips per person up from 1.45 last year.

This suggests a trend of ‘Habitual Holidaymakers’, with people viewing holidays as important and having a firm commitment to travel, despite a prolonged period of higher living costs.  

The most prolific travellers were families and those under the age of 35, with 18-24 year olds taking an average of 5.33 trips, 25-34 year olds going on 6.43 breaks and families with children over the age of five going on holiday 5.32 times during this period.

However, it’s families with young children (aged under five) who took the most holidays, at an average of 6.49, up from 5.27 last year and much more than five years ago (3.89 in 2019). ABTA says a limited window to travel is perhaps responsible for the increasing number of holidays taken by young families in the past couple of years. Children in these families are likely to be now reaching school age, after having been babies during the pandemic and hence family holidays abroad were off limits for the first part of their lives.

The positive reasons for going on holiday also help explain why it has become such a habit for many people, with 73% saying it’s their opportunity to relax, and for 63% it’s spending time with family and friends. Half of people said it supported their mental health, rising to 56% of millennials. 

With holidays carrying such value, it’s perhaps no surprise that they are now the last thing to go if people need to reduce their spending. Last year, respondents selected electronic gadgets as the last area where they would cut back on spending to cover the cost of living. This year, holidays are the most immune to wider cost of living challenges, with just 32% saying they would reduce holiday spend – a smaller proportion than gadgets, clothes, eating out or leisure activities such as going to the cinema (see page 14 of report for details).

This past year has also seen an increase in people booking with a travel professional (travel agent or tour operator) – 38% of people booked their holiday this way, up from 34% the previous 12 months. Behind ease of booking (54%), an increasing number of people said having someone who can help or support if something goes wrong was a reason for booking this way (43% up from 34%, and the second most common reason); this could be a result of some of the challenges some holidaymakers experienced in recent years including wildfires and a major issue with UK air traffic control at the end of summer 2023.

Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive of ABTA

“You can’t underestimate the power of a holiday – giving people the chance to relax and spend time together – which is why we’re seeing people taking trip after trip.

“In recent years, there has been a change from many people having one summer holiday but nothing else during the year; instead, many people are now choosing to spend their spare money on taking multiple trips throughout the year. This says a lot about the confidence and trust people have in the travel industry to help them make special memories; our members work hard at that every day and ABTA is here to support them.”

The full Holiday Habits 2024-25 report can be found at www.abta.com/holidayhabits2024-25.

The most popular overseas destinations people travelled to over the past 12 months and the percentage of people who went:

1. Spain – 31%
2. France – 22%
3. Italy – 17%
4. USA – 15%
5. Greece – 13%
6. Portugal – 11%
7. Germany – 11%
8. Turkey – 10%
9. Netherlands – 8%
10. UAE – 6% 
11. Mexico – 6%
12. Austria – 6%
13. Australia – 5%
14. Malta – 5%
15. Croatia – 5%

¹This report is based on research with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults and was carried out from 24 July to 2 August 2024 by The Nursery Research and Planning. It looks at people’s holiday habits in the 12 months prior to then and what their travel plans are for the year ahead.