Holiday company TUI said the vaccine roll-out in Britain had boosted summer bookings from those aged 50 and over, with that age group accounting for 50% of all web bookings since the end of last year.
With a highly transmissible new variant of the virus surging across Britain, Britain is rushing out vaccines, with a goal of delivering over 2 million shots a week, giving hope to millions of Britons that they will not have to wait long.
The elderly, the vulnerable and frontline workers - around 15 million people - are due to be vaccinated by mid-February, with those aged between 50 and 70 expected to follow in the months after, putting summer holidays back on the agenda.
"We're seeing more interest in holidays from an age group that wasn't coming through before, with the over 50s starting to book, we assume, on the back to the positive vaccine news," TUI UK managing director Andrew Flintham said in a statement.
Greece, Turkey and the Balearic islands were proving popular with those booking, Flintham added.
Another trend TUI is seeing is Britons booking longer holidays of two-weeks or ten days to compensate for the trip abroad they most likely missed in 2020 as restrictions stopped most international travel.
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Crazy headlne statement. Where are people booking to go to when the UK is in shutdown. It will continue all summer at least, the vaccine can't stop that, and all the other countries will be the same.
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@Mark, I actually believe it us true, at leat on UK. Many of our age group including myself are booking. In UK the vaccination is on full force and by June it is expected that 70% of population will be inoculated. There us also reports that those who have been vaccinated with the first dose, and are exposed and infected have very mild symptoms . It is encouraging and confidence building. I just wish Balearics would get a move on with vaccination. It would help the economy and tourism so very much.
Dave - what an ageist comment. As an 'over 50' myself and a regular holidaymaker to Mallorca for the last 30+ years I can't wait to return and I can assure you my wife and I do not try to do it on the cheap. We travel independently, not package holiday bookings, and have stayed in all parts of the island, usually avoiding the crowded resorts for the more genuine towns and countryside. With hotels, car hire, meals and so forth it comes to a pretty penny but we don't mind when we can enjoy somewhere we love. Are you really saying you don't want people like us? And in case you hadn't noticed, you don't get many over-50's indulging in the booze-fuelled excesses which the island so wants to get away from.
Dave - what an ageist comment. As an 'over 50' myself and a regular holidaymaker to Mallorca for the last 30+ years I can't wait to return and I can assure you my wife and I do not try to do it on the cheap. We travel independently, not package holiday bookings, and have stayed in all parts of the island, usually avoiding the crowded resorts for the more genuine towns and countryside. With hotels, car hire, meals and so forth it comes to a pretty penny but we don't mind when we can enjoy somewhere we love. Are you really saying you don't want people like us? And in case you hadn't noticed, you don't get many over-50's indulging in the booze-fuelled excesses which the island so wants to get away from.
Great, just what we need, a bunch of old people on a budget 🙈
Fake news they are just trying to get people to part with what’s left of there money nobody in there right mind would book a holiday yet it’s like betting on an ice cube coming out of a furnace still an ice cube