The surge in demand continued into February, with the company noting a 58% increase in bookings on the first Saturday of the month.

The strong start to 2025 follows a second consecutive record-breaking year for Barrhead Travel, and it expects similar trends of high demand to be sustained during 2025.

According to Barrhead Travel’s booking data, all-inclusive holidays remain the number one holiday type for customers this year, accounting for more than one quarter of new bookings. Although the most popular duration of holidays were for seven and 14 nights, Barrhead Travel says that there was a growing number of extended holidays with almost 20% of bookings for durations of over 15 nights.

The top destinations so far this year include:

• Shorthaul:
  • Tenerife
  • Mallorca
  • Cruising from Barcelona
  • Cruising from Southampton
  • Lanzarote
• Longhaul:
  • Barbados
  • Dubai
  • Canada
  • Orlando
  • Cruising from Miami

Some of the most notable ‘rising-star’ destinations of 2025 so far include Japan (growth of 148%); Morocco (growth of 192%); Bulgaria (growth of 140%); and Nashville (growth of 102%).

Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel, said: “January has retained its title of busiest booking month in the travel industry as we surpass booking numbers from 2024. However, with a record-breaking start to February, we’re expecting demand for new holiday bookings to continue well into the year.

“Our customers are telling us that their holidays are one of the most important times of year and we see this reflected in our booking data with spend, duration and upgrades all on the rise. We’re even seeing more customers book multiple holidays in one go – with one branch reporting that one client booked six holidays in one sitting during January.

“The typical summer sun holiday is still a staple for British holidaymakers, but we’re tracking increases for trips focussed on adventure. Destinations such as Japan are having a real spotlight moment this year with many customers opting for experience-led travel or visiting places they’ve always dreamt of.”