UK Travelers Set to Soar Over Easter Weekend, With All-Inclusive and DIY Bargain Breaks on the Rise

LONDON | APRIL 1, 2019 : Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP; LSE: WPY), a global leader in payments, is predicting a rise in online bookings for airlines and travel agents in the UK in the build-up to this year’s Easter holiday period.

Analysis of spending in the three weeks leading up to 2018’s Easter Sunday found that online travel bookings rose by 35 percent compared to the previous year¹. This trend could be set to continue for both airlines and online travel agents in the coming weeks, as Brits look to get away over the long weekend.

According to Worldpay, UK travelers are booking tickets with airlines around three weeks in advance. Data shows that booking volumes slow by six percent in the week leading up to the Easter bank holiday weekend when compared to the previous two weeks, indicating travelers’ preference for planning rather than trying their luck with last-minute bargains.

Worldpay data revealed that the volume of airline bookings increased by 40 percent last year, as budget conscious travelers made the most of increased competition² by building their own DIY Easter holiday, with the average booking cost falling by 12 percent year-over-year.

Online travel agents also saw similar increases ahead of the Easter period with booking volumes rising by 37 percent, and the average value of bookings jumping by 25 percent year-over-year. This could indicate a growing trend for travelers turning to online travel agents to book complete package experiences over designing their own trips.

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

“The travel industry has seen a real shift in how holidaymakers research and book their holidays. Mobile is the fastest growing commerce channel in the UK³, as travelers use smartphones to browse prices, book holidays and ancillary services throughout their trip.

“If travel operators want to stay ahead of the curve, they must optimize the booking experience, embedding seamless and secure payments across all major channels – making it even easier for their customers to book and pay wherever they are.”

About the data
Transaction data quoted taken from analysis of Worldpay’s Global Enterprise eCommerce data for online travel operators from the UK processed between March 05-25, 2018 and March 20 to April 09, 2017.

About Worldpay
Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP; LSE: WPY) is a leading payments technology company with unique capability to power global Omni-commerce. With an integrated technology platform, Worldpay offers a comprehensive suite of products and services, delivered globally through a single provider. Worldpay processes over 40 billion transactions annually, supporting more than 300 payment types across 146 countries and 126 currencies. The company is focused on expanding into high-growth markets and customer segments, including global eCommerce, integrated payments and B2B. Visit us at www.worldpay.com

For more information, please contact:
Siobhan Acha Derrington : siobhan.derrington@worldpay.com – +44 (0)203 664 4822
Rebecca Mansfield : worldpay@golin.com – +44 (0) 207 067 0855

¹Figures quoted are according to Worldpay´s Global Enterprise eCommerce transaction data for airlines and online travel agents in the United Kingdom from March 05 to 25, 2018 and March 20 to April 09, 2017.
²Beyond the Horizon – the Future of UK Aviation, HM Government, April 2018
³Worldpay Global Payments Report 2018