Travellers from Britain are the world’s biggest early birds when it comes to making holiday plans for 2025, according to Sabre booking data. Seemingly keen to escape chilly British weather and ensure they have a trip to look forward to next year, more Brits than any other nation have already booked their 2025 getaway.
They are followed by holidaymakers from the US, Germany, Korea, and Australia, who have also already made travel plans well in advance. Also making up the top 10 early bookers for 2025 are France, Denmark, Canada, Thailand, and Taiwan.
And, it appears that booking early is an increasing trend among travellers who could be keen to ensure the exact trip they want is available, or that they can better prioritize and manage their travel budget. Early bird bookings have grown for Britain, when compared with bookings made during 2023 for 2024, according to Sabre’s data, which is made up of bookings made for Q1 2025 up to end March 2024. Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan are also more likely this year to have made plans for next year. While they didn’t quite make the top 10 early birds, bookings from Spain and Japan for 2025 are also seeing an upwards trend.
Top early bird destinations for 2025
So, where are these early birds going? Well, some are travelling domestically, while others are making travel plans that take them much further afield.
Globally, the top destination already booked for 2025 is the US. Many travellers are also keen to enjoy some winter sunshine, with Thailand coming in at number two. Singapore, Japan, Britain, Australia, South Africa, Vietnam, and India also all make the top 10 most popular destinations for 2025, booked for Q1 2025 up to end March 2024. Thailand, Spain, Singapore, Japan, Britain, Vietnam, and India are also all enjoying more bookings already made for 2025 when compared to the same period in 2023 for 2024.
Britain’s favorite 2025 destinations
With Britain heading the early bird bookers, let’s take a dive into where British travellers are choosing to go. Out of the top 10 destinations, all but two are long haul. Travellers may prefer to plan their long-haul trips further in advance, with short haul plans still to be made. The US comes out top when it comes to destinations already booked by British travellers. This is followed by Spain in the number two slot, Thailand, India, Singapore, the Maldives, United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa, Iceland, and Australia.
Given that the Sabre data looks at bookings during Q1 when it will still be cold in the UK, it seems British holidaymakers are, on the whole, keen to escape the British weather for some warmth. However, they aren’t afraid of a bit of cold weather either, with Iceland also a popular destination. There are more early bird bookings, compared to the previous year, for the US, Spain, Thailand, India, the Maldives, and the UAE. Not quite making the top 10 are Barbados, and Sri Lanka, with Sri Lanka gaining in popularity.
Who is going to Thailand in 2025?
Like other global destinations, Thailand has a defined strategy to attract increasing numbers of tourists from target countries, including the introduction of visa-free stays for select nations. And, given that Thailand is, according to Sabre’s data, among the fastest growing destinations for early bookers, where is Thailand attracting its early birds from?
Unsurprisingly, most of the travellers to Thailand are those from ‘cold weather’ countries seeking some sunshine, with the top 10 comprised of Britain in the number one slot. This is followed by Thailand itself, likely to be travelers choosing multi-center trips, or flying from Bangkok to one of Thailand’s other popular destinations upon arrival, in particular Phuket. Then, it’s Germany at number three, followed by Denmark, which recently gave Thailand the title of ‘best destination outside Europe’ at the Danish travel awards. France, Taiwan, Korea, the Netherlands, Austria, and Sweden make up the rest of the top 10, with many countries choosing to book their trip to Thailand further in advance.
Prioritising travel
What is clear is that people around the world are prioritizing travel, and they want to be sure they already have 2025 mapped out. Travellers often book in advance to enable effective budgeting, or to ensure they can secure the exact destination and accommodation that they want. Booking well in advance also tends to be a sign of confidence among travelers. During, and immediately after the pandemic, travellers were planning their trips closer to the time of actual travel, whereas that trend is now turning around, with greater advance booking windows. Travellers are now feeling confident enough to book well in advance, and by booking now for 2025, they have plenty of time to really think about what they want to do at their destination, and to anticipate the enjoyment of their 2025 travels.
*Data source: Sabre Market Intelligence MIDT analysis looking at bookings made up to March 31, 2024 for Q1 bookings in 2025, when compared to the same time period the previous year.
