London and the UK are topping the list of 2023 bookings with Flight Centre. Photo / Belinda Fewings, Unsplash
London and the UK are topping the list of 2023 bookings with Flight Centre. Photo / Belinda Fewings, Unsplash
When scrolling social media this winter, it was easy to feel like almost everyone had traded winter in New Zealand for summer in Europe.
According to data from Flight Centre, this assumption isn’t far off, at least among travellers.
The travel agency found the UK has overtaken Fiji as the most popular overseas destination for Kiwis to book in 2023.
The English capital even beat out Aussie favourites and more Kiwis are travelling to London than Brisbane and Sydney.
So, has the appeal of Fiji or Australia waned? Not according to Flight Centre New Zealand’s general manager Heidi Walker. Rather, the desire to visit the UK and London has increased.
“Bookings to the UK and London have increased over 20 per cent this year compared to the same time period last year,” Walker said.
Solo travellers are the largest demographic booking UK trips, said Flight Centre's Heidi Walker.
Despite the Instagram pictures showing off groups of friends and families abroad, Walker said the largest demographic heading to London and beyond were travelling alone.
“The biggest increase we have seen is with solo travellers, this group is our largest demographic for UK bookings,” she said.
Solo travellers made up 38 per cent of total customers and grew 17 per cent. Couples were right behind solo travellers as the most popular demographic.
The rise in UK bookings among solo travellers and couples was likely coming from young people heading off on a long-awaited OE, Walker said.
“Part of this rise can be put down to young professionals retreating from the NZ winter, going to the European summer for their OE’s,” she said.
The average trip duration for UK solo travellers is 40 days, Walker added, and while many Kiwis were flying to London they weren’t staying there.
“London is a popular starting point for Europe holidays with most flights that depart from Auckland heading to London or Paris,” she said.
“From there you usually have two types of solo travellers, those that are there on a working holiday and might get a job to save up money to travel, or those that join a group tour.”
Due to the large portion of solo travellers heading to the UK and Europe, Walker said they’d seen strong interest in tours such as Topdeck, which make it easy for individuals to travel with others and make friends.
For those contemplating a European sojourn in 2024, Flight Centre recommends booking early to avoid price hikes.
“Travel demand for UK/Europe during their summer is high which can lead to limited capacity and increased prices,” Walker said, adding that booking early can help secure a cheaper price.
Additionally, booking a package tour could help minimise costs by locking in a price, which minimises the impact of currency fluctuations.
