In the lap of luxury.... Irish splash cash on festive travel

Many Irish families already have holiday travel plans for the festival season, with Christmas spending set to boom.

Consumer behaviour in the third quarter of 2015 suggests a noted increase in retail sales, pointing to a huge spend in the weeks ahead.

The magic of Christmas has already led to unprecedented demand for day trips to Lapland — costing around €2,500 for a family of four.

Operators such as Sunway Travel and Falcon have already added extra dates for trips to the winter wonderland. The Travel Corporation Ireland yesterday revealed cruise bookings are also surging, with more and more Irish seeking exotic destinations.

“Uniworld River Cruises are seeing strong forward bookings for 2016 with bookings up almost 35%, with more guests opting for higher standard state-room categories this year than ever before,” said Sharon Jordan, country manager for the TTCI.

She also said far-flung designations such as India and Egypt are back on the horizon, while traditional river cruise routes such as the Danube and Rhine are selling out.

Ms Jordan said high-spending Irish are treating themselves to ‘bucket list’ holidays.

Falcon’s marketing manager Charlotte Brenner said strong demand was increasing, on a near daily basis, for day-long Lapland trips priced at €639 per adult and €559 per child.

Managing director of Lee Travel Declan O’Connell, who operates the two trips out of Cork in conjunction with Sunway Travel, said the trip to Lapland was a once in a lifetime adventure for families.

“It’s magical. It is hugely popular and a great hit with adults as well as children,” he said.

Sunway Travel executive Marie Claire Porter said the holiday company offers a one-night Santa’s Sleepover trip or a two-night Sleighbell Spectacular.

Prices start from €859 per adult and €759 per child and include flights, accommodation, food, arctic gear, and all activities.

Mr O’Connell, meanwhile, said the high demand in flights shows “real confidence” in the recovering economy.

Retail Excellence Ireland also indicated Q3 turnover confirmed consumer confidence in the recovery from recession.

Sales across 4,000 selected stores during July, August, and September topped €3.3bn, 5.5% more than in the same quarter last year.

REI chief executive David Fitzsimons said a barometer of the good times returning was that hot beverage sales were up significantly.

“It’s indicative of the fact that we are a nation of coffee and tea lovers,” he said, but, more importantly, it means footfall is up on the high street.