Thomson owner buoyed by strong holiday demand

Thomson and First Choice owner TUI Travel today said trading remained “buoyant” as households showed no sign of ditching summer travel plans.

TUI revealed holiday sales in the UK for the past six weeks were up 8% on a year earlier, with 61% of its UK programme now booked.

The group added that medium and long haul trips from the UK performed strongly, with sales up 21% and 8% in the six week period.

Greece, Turkey, Egypt, the US, Dominican Republic and Mexico have been the most popular destinations.

TUI Travel chief executive Peter Long said there was no evidence of deteriorating consumer sentiment in its booking patterns, or in the average holiday duration booked, average selling price or cancellation rates.

“This confirms our research that the annual holiday is an important component of the family budget,” he said.

Shares were up almost 5% today.