Britons On Exodus from Cold – Toward Spring

We’ve all heard the news from the UK, mountains of snow and unseasonable weather of record breaking proportions. Fortunately for TUI Thomson there is an up side to bad weather – people on an exodus to better weather. A report from Thomson and First Choice the other day speaks of 30 something thousand headed out of bad weather and into good this Easter weekend.

With warmer climates only a flight away, Britons are probably already warming up their bones in the Med or North Africa waiting for Easter Sunday. Online bookings to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, Greece and Tunisia are up 73%, 45% and 37% respectively, according to Thomson’s figures. Thomson has seen a 60% increase in online searches this year, when compared to searches last year when March was unseasonably warm. If ever there were a “sunshine and snow” metric, the new data shows at the least people in the UK are more than ready for Spring to spring.

The coldest March since way, way back in 1910 had prompted many UK residents to say; “Kiss our frozen a___es goodbye this Easter Britain.” Who can blame anyone for throwing in a holiday in nightmarish weather? Garry Wilson, managing director of purchasing for Thomson and First Choice, had this to add:

“We are seeing the strongest demand in 10 years for beach holidays this Easter as Brits look to escape the freezing temperatures and grey skies. With predicted highs of 24 degrees in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands and 20 degrees in Hammamet, Tunisia on Easter Sunday versus just six degrees in London and four degrees in Manchester it’s easy to see why people are heading south for the long weekend.”

Finally, the ABTA estimates that 1.7 million British holidaymakers will head overseas for this weekend. On a personal note, here in Germany we are thinking of more than a weekend getaway if Spring does not finally arrive, maybe a sabbatical is in order (or turning our cheeks to the sun too) with laptops in hand? Stay tuned and Happy Easter.