Tourism is back for the spring break, Brussels Airlines said on Thursday, confirming that many travellers had already bought plane tickets for vacations. The airline also expects a high number of last-minute bookings.
Other travel agencies noted an increase in interest when it comes to leisure travel, too, like travel company Neckermann and its competitor TUI, Belga News Agency reports.
Belgians are keen to travel for the spring break after two years of the coronavirus, Neckermann noted, and TUI added that "people no longer see any reason not to go on vacation."
Popular destinations include both sun and snow
TUI has observed an interest in spring skiing, in particular.
The most popular European destinations for Brussels Airlines this spring are Malaga, Rome, Lisbon, Madrid and Copenhagen. New York (USA), Dakar (Senegal), Douala (Cameroon) and Entebbe (Uganda) are also seeing a surge on the intercontinental front.
However, April is still too early for swimming for most travellers. "Winter sports in the spring are doing very well. It's already the low season for skiing, which makes a ski trip during the spring break 30 to 40% cheaper," said Neckermann.
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The pandemic has changed this way Belgians book holidays, with last minute bookings in high demand over the past two years. "We see that departing on Thursdays and returning on Mondays has become remarkably more popular. It seems that the 'new way of working' as a result of the pandemic has led to more flexibility for employees in managing their work-life balance,” said Tom Maes, Head of Commercial Steering at Brussels Airlines.
The clocks will go forward on 27 March, which marks the start of the summer season, and travel operators anticipate a further tourism surge for the summer holidays.
