10 most booked destinations for Belfast travellers in 2024

A Northern Ireland travel firm has revealed the top 10 most booked destinations so far for Belfast travellers in 2024 after recording the most successful month in its history following huge demand for holiday bookings this January.

Last year, Barrhead Travel in Belfast reported a record-breaking year and it expects similar trends of high demand to be sustained during 2024.

Despite the reported squeeze on spending, with recent poor weather and named storms hitting the UK, the travel agency, which has a store at Victoria Square, saw a rush for holidays.

Sunshine Saturday – typically the first Saturday in January – initially became the agency’s highest ever day of sales, reporting a 20% increase on bookings from the previous year. This was quickly overtaken by the following three consecutive Saturdays that month – making January 2024 the most successful in its history.

Last year, the group reported a record-breaking year and it expects similar trends of high demand to be sustained during 2024.

According to the travel firm, Summer 2024 was the most popular season booked with last-minute getaways, particularly for warmer climates, accounting for around one in five bookings.

According to Barrhead Travel’s booking data, all-inclusive holidays remain the most popular type of holidays for the year ahead with 30 percent of customers choosing this as an option.

Cruise holidays are also on the rise and Barrhead Travel say they have seen a significant increase of 25% for holidays at sea so far this year.

Following the surge in bookings, Barrhead Travel has revealed the top 10 most booked destinations so far:

1. Tenerife
2. Mallorca
3. Alicante
4. Barbados
5. Cruising from Southampton
6. Barcelona
7. Alicante
8. Turkey
9. Canada
10. Orlando

Summer 2024 is making up over half of new bookings but the travel agent says there is still “healthy” demand for late breaks accounting for one in five bookings in January.

The firm’s booking data indicates that holidaymakers are seeking out longer breaks, with the average length of stay now at ten days – up from nine in 2023.

Holidaymakers are also choosing to upgrade both travel and hotels, with higher room categories and business class bookings seeing an increase by up to 30% compared with 2023.

Kelly Hutchinson, store manager at Barrhead Travel Belfast

Kelly Hutchinson, Store Manager of Barrhead Travel Belfast, said: “This January, we have seen record numbers of people locking in their holidays for the year ahead. It’s one of the best times of year to book with many operators, hotels and airlines having fantastic sales on.

“There are still brilliant offers in the market – we’ve got 100s of free child places and plenty of low deposit options still on sale.

“Demand has yet to slow down – we’re already off to a fantastic start in February. As well as continued interest in summer holidays, we’re starting to notice more last-minute enquiries for Easter school holidays coming through.

“Most customers we’re speaking to are telling us they hope to book several breaks this year, if they can.

“The desire to book with a travel agent is clearly on the rise and our experts are very excited to work with their customers to help their budget go as far as possible and get the holiday they’ve been dreaming of.”

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