With the May holiday just around the corner and the corona measures off the table, many North Hollanders are traveling again. Destinations in southern Europe are especially popular this holiday. After two years of uncertainty, travel organizations are busy again: “We have many more bookings than before corona.”
“I think that’s because people have been at home for two years and now want to enjoy an extra holiday,” says travel agent Mariska Tuijp from Volendam. “A lot of trips are made during the May holidays to Turkey, Cyprus and the Canary Islands. There you have a lot of sun security this time of year.”
Turkey misses Russians and Ukrainians
According to spokesperson Petra Kok of TUI, Spain, Greece and Turkey remain popular holiday destinations. “Turkey is very interesting for travelers, because the Turkish hoteliers are very happy that the Dutch are back after two years. They miss the Russian and Ukrainian travelers and therefore make it extra attractive for others to fill those places.”
“In faraway destinations, the ABC islands remain as popular as ever, but Cancun in Mexico and the Dominican Republic are also well on their way back to old numbers of guests,” explains Petra. “A surprise is Senegal. A new and large hotel resort has just opened there, which offers the country space for more holidaymakers. It is an interesting African country on the west coast that is known for its friendly people, whereas the east coast of Africa is more about the wildlife goes.”
‘Everything is full’
Bianca Menkveld is a travel agent in Schagen and they have their hands full there too. “If you haven’t booked yet, bump your nose now. Everything is full.” She also sees that the trusted destinations are being booked again. “Spain and Greece are especially visited during the May holidays. Some also go a little further for warmer weather. But there are plenty of people who don’t need 25 degrees, so they just go to Greece.”
“Most have already booked in November, people just really want to go on holiday,” Bianca continues. “If you book early, you know for sure that it is possible and it is cheaper. In January or March, for example, the prices were lower than now.”
On the other hand, Mariska sees that many holidays are booked shortly before the trip. “I definitely see a difference with before the corona time. Normally the book season is in September to December, but now I book a lot of trips two or three months in advance. I even have a few last minutes.”
What strikes the travel organizations is that the high prices of the holidays seem to have little effect on the number of trips that are booked. “The budget really needs to be a lot higher,” Mariska says. “A family that previously went on a summer holiday for 4,000 euros for 12 days, now needs the same budget for a week in May, but they do book.”
“Popular accommodations are completely full and it is almost impossible to rent cars and campers on location. Many of these types of rental companies went bankrupt during corona, no investments were made and no new vehicles were purchased,” she continues. further. “That makes booking a trip more difficult.”
Changing rules
According to Bianca, the travel organizations also have an additional task. “Different countries have different corona rules. We have to see what the rules are per country and that can also differ per day,” she explains. “Sometimes you have explained the rules to customers neatly one day and it is different the next. Choosing a destination can therefore be more difficult.”