U.K. holiday industry benefits from terror fears, airport security crackdowns
Fears of terrorism abroad and lengthy security checks at airports give boost to U.K. domestic hospitality industry,
There is always a silver lining. In evidence: Terror fears and airport security crackdowns have given the U.K. holiday industry a massive boost as many Britons cancel their plans to fly to sunshine destinations abroad, choosing instead to enjoy the U.K.’s own R&R destinations. The Evening Standard reports that holiday makers concerned about heightened airport security and delays owing to the recent terrorist alerts are abandoning plans to travel overseas in favor of domestic breaks.
Travel firms are reporting a last-minute surge of bookings for hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, and cottages throughout the United Kingdom in the wake of the terror attacks. Self-catering specialist Hoseasons says that it recorded a 26 percent rise in inquiries about domestic holidays in the days after the Glasgow airport attack, compared with the same weekend last year.
Hoseasons claims that last-minute holiday-hunters are “scrabbling” for U.K. breaks, citing a desire to avoid the chaos at airports caused by current security measures after the suspected terrorist attack. The company says that there was a similar surge in demand for domestic breaks last August after the chaos that followed a previous terrorist scare.
Global Vacation Network, which includes domestic accommodation specialists such as English Country Cottages and Blakes, experienced a 20-30 percent rise in bookings over the same period last year. British Airways and Ryanair have both reported falling passenger figures — and although it is too early to say how much the terror scare at Glasgow airport will affect summer holiday bookings, U.K. resorts have reported a surge in bookings in the wake of the attack.
British Airways announced that its passenger load factor was only running at 80.5 percent in June this year while its aircraft were 81.9 percent full in June 2006. The British flag carrier said its problems mainly lay in economy class bookings to the United States and Europe, while business class passengers were up by 1.4 percent. Budget carrier Ryanair announced that its planes were filled to 85 percent of their capacity in June 2007, a drop of two percent on the year before.
