In 2024, the travel booking landscape in India has witnessed the further penetration of online channels, with online intermediaries set to outgrow online direct suppliers such as airlines and hotels due to better convenience and several added benefits. Online intermediaries in India offer interfaces which support multiple regional languages, providing better convenience and accessibility in comparison with their online direct counterparts. Furthermore, online intermediaries often provide added b

Travel activity in Ireland continues to rise in 2024. Irish consumers have become increasingly confident in taking trips to long-distance destinations, driving up overall spending on booking. This is opposed to the trend in previous years, when growth was driven both by a return to travel, but also high inflation and its impact on prices. Competition between direct suppliers and intermediaries continues in 2024, largely due to growth in the key airlines and lodging categories, which has enabled

The growth in online bookings continues to be a prominent trend in Croatia in 2024, as many travellers find it most convenient to arrange accommodation through online travel platforms, especially when visiting destinations, they are already familiar with, such as Croatia. This has led to a steady increase in sales for online travel agents targeting inbound tourists. The ease and flexibility offered by these platforms have made them the preferred method for arranging travel plans, particularly fo

Category leaders such as Invia.cz, Fischer, Exim Tours, Cedok and Blue Style have all recorded solid sales growth in 2024. This has been driven by high demand for summer holidays but also due to an increasing offer of exotic destinations which has been supported by direct charter flights. The holiday budgets of Czechs were negatively impacted by economic pressures in 2023 but their appetite for taking summer holidays by the sea, in particular, has remained high and this has helped to fuel growth

Booking sales in Bulgaria are being supported by various factors in 2024. Overall, consumers have become accustomed to the convenience which online channels offer, thus, online intermediaries are ideally suited to cater to this demand. Added to which, inflationary pressures remain, thus the total cost of a trip or holiday is an important criterion for consumers. Therefore, budget-conscious consumers seek the best deals they can find, either through an online intermediary offering special deals,

In 2024, online travel agencies are expanding their ancillary services and investing in marketing across various media channels to grow their customer base. One of the largest online travel agencies in Slovakia, Kiwi.com, launched a significant partnership with AXA Partners CEE, a specialist in travel insurance, allowing passengers to select insurance directly on the Kiwi.com platform when purchasing tickets. This marked the first time Kiwi.com promoted its services not only through digital plat

Although booking sales in Germany continue to grow in 2024, a significant slowdown is evident. Several factors, including the cost-of-living crisis driven by high inflation the previous year, are still being felt and play a role in the shift in consumers’ behaviour and priorities. In addition, lingering economic uncertainties and political unrest contribute to a slowdown in spending, including on discretionary costs such as travel, while more essential spending is being prioritised. Nevertheless

In order to grow and gain share in South Africa’s travel and tourism industry, it has become imperative for service providers to be in partnership with key travel intermediaries. This is evident with the growing popularity of platforms such as Booking.com, where accommodation bookings continue to grow. Booking.com has now lifted its narrow price parity rules. Previously, independent hotels or accommodation providers were restricted from selling their services through such platforms, as their pro

Booking sales are set to increase strongly in Hungary in 2024. Despite the financial difficulties faced by the majority of households and more careful spending patterns on non-essential goods and services, the willingness to travel remains strong in 2024. Many people are indulging themselves with holidays as they seek to relieve the stresses of a generally challenging economic situation. These vacations/trips represent a significant amount from their budget, but the expense is considered to be a

Polish consumers are shifting their spending away from durable goods to experiences, and booking is a beneficiary of this trend. An increase in the national minimum wage and average salary has boosted disposable incomes. The indexation of Family 500 Plus social benefit to PLN800 since January 2024 also had a positive impact, increasing the number of bookings.

Booking in Romania is expected to see impressive growth in retail current value terms in 2024, continuing the trend of the previous year. This can be largely attributed to a surge in early reservations, which began as early as November 2023 and continued through February and March during the Romanian Tourism Fair held in Bucharest. Early bookings for the summer season have shown a consistent increase, reflecting a heightened interest in holiday planning. This trend is also reflective of increase

Booking sales are set to grow in current value terms in Norway in 2024. Large travel intermediary, TUI, notes an increase in the booking of package tours. The company renewed its partnership with the airlines player, Norwegian, to provide affordable charter flights starting from winter 2023/2024, from both regional and main airports in Norway to popular European leisure destinations. There is booming demand for Norwegian fjord cruises. TUI has launched new routes and offers the largest summer pr

Booking sales are set to grow in current value terms in Sweden in 2024. In late 2023, the European Commission blocked the acquisition of Swedish eTraveli online services - Gotogate and MyTrip, by global market leader, Booking.com. The aim is to protect consumers and not to allow the further strengthening of Booking.com’s already dominant position in the market. Consequently, the European Commission vetoed the EUR1.63 billion deal to ensure further healthy competition amongst travel intermediarie

2024 is seeing outbound travel take a higher share of UK consumers’ travel expenditure. This is benefiting sales via intermediaries overall, where in leisure travel, leisure air travel is one of the most dynamic growth areas, reflecting the status of airlines as the most common mode of transport for outbound travel from the UK. Cruises remain dynamic in 2024, with passenger numbers reaching record levels. Cruises are benefiting both from greater capacity and appealing to an increasingly younger

Travel bookings in Turkey saw phenomenal current value growth in 2024 driven by the rising cost of holidays. Hyperinflation and the devaluation of the Turkish Lira led to significant increases in travel and accommodation prices. Sales of package holidays to outbound tourists were negatively impacted by the greater difficulty Turkish citizens face to obtain EU Schengen visas. Schengen visa rejection rates have been steadily rising in recent years. Even for those accepted, the Schengen visa applic

Online booking sales in Morocco are set to grow faster than offline sales in current value terms in 2024. This is partly because the former are increasing from a lower base, but also reflective of the long-term shift towards digitalisation across the wider travel industry. The latter trend was recently accelerated by changes brought about by COVID-19, in that many people became more accustomed to shopping for travel-related services online during the initial period of lockdowns and social distan

Summer has been somewhat disappointing for booking in Switzerland in 2024, with travel agencies disappointed as Mediterranean destinations are recording below average sales. However, autumn travel faces a brighter outlook, and southern European destinations such as Greece, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Malta are still in demand. Last-minute offers are popular with some Swiss – several people still want to catch up on trips and travel that they missed out on during the pandemic. Though inflation has n

Booking sales are set to decline in current value terms in Israel in 2024. While locals are starting to travel more in 2024, there is still expected to be a decrease in the overall travel market, which will impact booking. The only category set to show growth is airlines, as the prices of flights have increased significantly during the year. This has resulted from the fact that there is more demand than supply, as many airlines are not flying to Israel.

In 2024, the booking sector in Greece has seen its revenue surpass pre-pandemic levels, driven by a robust increase in travel demand and significant hikes in travel costs. This rise in revenue is attributed to both an uptick in the number of travellers and the increased costs associated with travel services, particularly in holiday packages. The higher costs stem from elevated prices in transportation and lodging, which have, in turn, driven up the prices of package holidays. Despite this revenu

Direct bookings in the Netherlands are growing faster than through intermediaries, which is partly due to the stronger growth in leisure travel compared to business. Travel intermediaries remain the key choice for booking business travel. When making a travel booking, one of the most important criteria is price, and travellers often consider a direct booking to be cheaper. Given the online tools at their disposal, travellers can easily compare prices and book directly with the cheapest available

Online bookings continue to gain share in Ecuador, especially with the ascendancy of Generation Z consumers, who are entering the workforce with augmented purchasing power. As this tech-savvy generation asserts its influence in the travel domain, the online channel is gathering momentum. The main platform used for travel reservations by Ecuadorian tourists is Booking.com, followed by Despegar.com. Both platforms are increasingly trusted by tourists and are widely adopted by Millennials and Gener

The travel booking sector is supported by a series of consumers and trade marketing campaigns, spearheaded by the government. The Ministry of Tourism has recently announced its participation in the 44th edition of the World Travel Market (WTM) London to be held in November 2024, with 62 pavilions that include 27 companies, 32 hotels, Air Cairo, Nesma Airlines, and a place for the South Sinai governorate. The Ministry of Tourism is also participating in ITB Berlin 2024.

Booking sales are seeing slower growth in current value terms in 2024 after the dynamism seen in the previous two years. Although consumers remain keen to travel economic pressures have been taking their toll. Elevated inflation and rising living costs have placed a financial burden on many households, with many people having to exercise caution in their spending, including when it comes to booking travel. Additionally, Russia’s war in Ukraine continues to have a negative impact on the market, w

2024 is proving to be a positive year for booking in Denmark, supported by Danes travelling more with increases in both outbound and domestic trips compared to 2023. Spending is also on the up thanks to higher prices, though the worst of inflation seems to be over. In business travel, American Express announced the acquisition of CWT, while leisure travel sees the birth of Travelheart Family, consisting of 15 different units, making it the biggest Danish-owned leisure travel group.