Carnival holidays: TUI Belgium registers a boom of last-minute bookings, which exceed the 2019 level

After a failed carnival holiday in 2021 due to the travel ban, Belgians are looking forward to being able to leave again this year. As has been the case all winter, travellers are waiting for the last minute to book: one in two bookings recorded in recent weeks is for carnival holidays. TUI, the country’s largest tour operator, is already registering 7% more reservations than for Carnival 2019. Reservations made in the last 4 weeks even exceed the number of reservations for the same period in 2019 by 128%. One out of two TUI holidaymakers will take a plane to take off for the sun (58%), one out of four will go skiing (26%), 11% of them will take the car to go near their home and 5% will choose for a city trip.

More than one out of two TUI holidaymakers (58%) chose to fly to get the sun during this winter period. Spain remains the favourite destination for Belgians since it alone accounts for 60% of travellers who leave by plane. More than two-thirds of them opt for the Canary Islands, islands of eternal spring. Egypt and Cape Verde, destinations a little further afield, complete the ranking of the most chosen destinations. Long-haul destinations are not to be outdone because, with fairly flexible entry conditions, Mexico and the Dominican Republic are on the rise.

In order to be able to meet the growing demand of recent weeks, the airline TUI fly Belgium has increased its air capacity for the carnival holidays, but also, more generally, for the months of February and March, to Tenerife and Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), Malaga (Costa del Sol) and to Egypt.

Who says carnival holidays says winter sports: one out of four TUI holidaymakers will go skiing. France is the most popular destination (mainly the Alps) and attracts one out of two skiers. Austria and Switzerland complete this ranking. It is mainly Austria that still registers last minute bookings.

In terms of driving holidays, the trends do not change much: Belgium remains a safe bet. Bookings in recent weeks are mainly for the coast. The neighbouring countries – Germany, France, the Netherlands and Luxembourg – also remain popular and complete the ranking.

Paris is regaining its place as a favourite for a few days of city trips, but the sun in the cities of southern Europe (Rome, Lisbon and Venice) also attracts a lot of families. London appears to be back on track since UK entry requirements were recently eased.

Top 5 for air travel: Spain, Egypt, Cape Verde, Dominican Republic, Mexico.
Top 5 for winter sports: France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany.
Top 5 for driving holidays: Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, Luxembourg.
Top 5 for city trips: Paris, Rome, Lisbon, Venice, London.

February 16, 2022