Top 10 destinations for January bookings:
- Orlando
- Faro
- New York
- Las Vegas
- Cancun, Mexico
- Lanzarote
- South Africa
- San Francisco
- Sydney
- Lake Garda
The storm over President Donald Trump’s travel bans plus a strong dollar reducing value haven’t dented Irish interest in Stateside trips, with Travel Counsellors Ireland announcing the USA as their most popular destination for bookings in January.
The group said a high volume of bookings made were for the US, with stays in Orlando the most popular. New York, San Francisco and Las Vegas also made the Top 10 list.
The General Manager of Travel Counsellors Ireland, Cathy Burke, said: “We witnessed a real boom in bookings, and it is a promising sign that people are looking optimistically towards 2017.”
“It is interesting to see that despite the negativity emanating from the US and the strong dollar, it is still topping our destination list for Irish holidaymakers.”
Bookings for Mexico are back in demand, with Cancún at number five on the top 10 list. “Mexico’s tourism was affected because of fears surrounding the Zika virus in Central and South America. It is fantastic to now see Irish families, couples and honeymooners booking holidays to that country once again,” she said.
The top sales day for Travel Counsellors Ireland was Friday, January 20, which said sales for January were up 10pc, compared to the same period last year.
“While we are witnessing a definite appetite in Europe for family holidays, the increased demand has sent prices soaring,” Cathy said.
Long-haul holidays are also on the rise, with an increase in bookings for far-flung destinations such as South Africa, Thailand and Indonesia.
