Great escape Sights set on a summer in the sunshine
WITH the country in lockdown and winter fast approaching, it’s no surprise some of us are dreaming of a summer in the sun.
And with not much else to cheer us up, people are planning their holiday and booking a great escape to warmer climes.
With ongoing travel corridor uncertainty for some regular favourites this winter, those craving sunshine during the coldest months have already booked for next winter, holiday giant Tui has revealed, with demand for Gran Canaria proving particularly strong.
TUI UK has announced it will be flying to 36 destinations from Bristol Airport next winter and in summer 2022.
It comes as package holiday and tour operator Jet2 is opening a new hub at the airport next year with 33 destinations on the schedule, bringing 200 jobs to the area.
Bristol Airport’s chief executive has hailed the news as a “clear indicator” of the air travel industry’s recovery.
Eighty-six per cent of their customers surveyed in September said they expect to have gone on holiday again by next summer.
The winter 2021/22 programme will see the reintroduction of four popular routes from Bristol Airport including Keflavik, Iceland; Naples, Italy; Palma, Majorca; and Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt.
Customers will also be able to choose from more flights to Hurghada, Egypt and Gran Canaria and Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
And for next summer, Greece, Turkey and Egypt are also proving popular, says TUI.
From February 2, 2022, TUI flights to Keflavik will be operating on Sundays and Wednesdays from Bristol Airport up until March 2, 2022.
The summer 2022 programme from Bristol Airport will see 36 destinations on offer, including long haul favourites Cancun and Florida. A large Turkey programme will also be available, with four weekly flights to Antalya and Dalaman, in addition to Bodrum flights, while there will be eight stunning Greek islands to choose from.
A TUI spokesperson said: “TUI is seeing an upward trend in fourand five-star all-inclusive hotel bookings for next summer, with over 40 per cent of customers surveyed expressing this preference.
“This includes hotels which offer the ‘best of both worlds’ with villas or room options with private pools and accommodation as families in particular seek to continue to feel safe in their ‘bubble’,” said a spokes
person.”
Richard Sofer, commercial and business development director at TUI, said: “Our latest customer survey and booking patterns for next summer indicate that the great British public are looking forward to future holidays even more so as they may have been unable to take one this year.”
Dave Lees, chief executive of Bristol Airport, said: “We welcome the announcement of the TUI winter 2021/2022 and summer 2022 flight programmes from Bristol Airport as it is a clear indicator of the aviation industry slowly recovering and gradually returning to normal.
“The flight programme extends the choice of TUI flights and holidays available from Bristol Airport, including the ever-popular family destinations of Florida and Cancun.
“The destinations will help ensure TUI offers customers throughout the South West and Wales a great choice and options of holidays available from their regional airport.”
PACKAGE holiday and tour operator Jet2 is opening a new hub – its tenth in the UK – at Bristol Airport.
The company will base three aircraft at the site for the summer of 2021, it told travel industry site TTG, and will be operating up to 56 flights a week.
The holiday operator said it would be flying to 33 destinations, across mainland Spain, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, Greece, Turkey, Italy and Portugal.
The move will create 200 new jobs, including flight and cabin crew roles, as well as posts in engineering and ground operations, according to TTG.
Jet2 said it would be assigning a dedicated trade sales executive to the region, too.
Steve Heapy, Jet2.com and Jet2holidays chief executive, told TTG: “This is an incredibly exciting day for Jet2.com and Jet2holidays as we expand our award-winning flights and holidays to Bristol Airport.
“We know how much demand there is, because we have been listening to customers and independent travel agents in the region for some time. We are delighted to be bringing them the news they have been looking forward to.”
Jet2 said it would also be launching four summer routes that would be exclusive to Bristol Airport – to Izmir, in Turkey; Kalamata and Lesvos, in Greece; and Costa de Almeria in Spain.
It will also offer three-weekly ski flights for winter 2021/22 – to Geneva, in Switzerland; Grenoble, in France; and Salzburg, in Austria. There will also be a weekly flight to
Paphos, in Cyprus, it said.
Dave Lees, Bristol airport chief executive, added: “Never has the time been more important for the region to look to the future in a post-Covid world, and Jet2.com and Jet2holidays have shown the confidence in the strength of the region to open up their 10th UK operating base at Bristol Airport.
“This exciting news is a major step towards the future by creating job opportunities, providing significant investment and an increase in the choice to customers.”
Jet2’s inaugural flight is scheduled to depart from Bristol for Lanzarote on April 1 next year.