Online travel bookings up by 10% in UK ahead of Easter

13th April 2017 – London — Worldpay, a global leader in payments is expecting a rise in online sales for travel agents and airlines in the UK in the build-up to this year’s Easter celebrations.

Analysis of spending in the weeks’ prior to 2017’s Easter Sunday found that online travel sales are up by as much as 10% compared to an average week*. And as the event draws nearer, online sales are only expected to rise further as Brits up and down the country plot a quick getaway around the long weekend.

Across the airline and travel industry, travel service providers have been the biggest winners, with bookings increasing by an impressive 14% compared to normal. Deals on coach trips and ferries may well have been enough to catch the eye of British travellers in search of a short-haul Easter bolthole.

But it’s not just the amount of sales being made. Worldpay’s data shows that the average booking value for online travel agents is also up by 14% compared with the same time last year. Following on from 2016’s Brexit vote, Brits may be feeling a bit more confident and willing to splash their cash on an exuberant holiday further afield.

Commenting on the data, Thomas Helldorff, Vice President for Airlines & Travel at Worldpay said:

“Easter is a time for the people of Britain to take a much deserved break. After the lull of winter, the four day bank holiday provides a fantastic opportunity for holiday-makers to spend some of their hard earned pennies on a long weekend away.

“The fact that Brits are spending more on their holidays this year is a promising sign of confidence amongst travellers. Savvy businesses will now be looking towards the next bank holiday and thinking about how they can optimise their online booking flow s to create a seamless payment experience, allow people to pay the way they want and cash in on the extended weekend.”

* Figures refer to YoY comparison of customer transaction data in the three weeks leading up to Easter.

About the data
Figures quoted are according to Worldpay’s Global eCom customer transaction data for airlines and online travel agents in the UK 04/03/2016-22/04/2016, compared to 24/03/2017-02/04/2017. Worldpay processed a total of 14.9bn transactions at a value of £451.1bn in 2016.

About Worldpay
Worldpay is a leading payments company with global reach. We provide an extensive range of technology-led payment products and services to around 400,000 customers, enabling their businesses to grow and prosper. We manage the increasing complexity of the payments landscape for our customers, allowing them to accept the widest range of payment types around the world. Using our network and technology, we are able to process payments from geographies covering 99% of global GDP, across 146 countries and 126 currencies. We help our customers to accept more than 300 different payment types.

For more information visit: http://www.worldpay.com/global

For more information, please contact:

Global eCom
Emily Lahey, PR Director
+44 (0) 203 664 5663
emily.lahey@worldpay.com

Golin
Nitesh Khetani
+44 207 067 0128
worldpayecommteam@golin.com