The truth about 'Sunshine Saturday'
Last weekend’s booking bonanza was strongly promoted – but what really happened? The tour operators reveal all
We were, as expected, bombarded with a frenzy of holiday hype last weekend. It was Sunshine Saturday. This concept, which has emerged over the past three or four years, is mainly a marketing tool – a way of focusing our minds on the summer holidays.
The gloomy days in the wake of Christmas and New Year have, for decades, been the busiest time for bookings and Sunshine Saturday is another way that tour operators and agents can use to highlight a few discounts and ramp up some enthusiasm among potential bookers.
But did this sales push work – and what can we learn from it?
Did Sunshine Saturday happen?
All the operators I contacted said they had seen a big surge in interest and demand since New Year, but not necessarily on Sunshine Saturday. Villa specialist Simpson Travel saw bookings soar a few days earlier, on January 3 and 4 – and it is expecting this weekend to be a bumper one.
Trailfinders smashed its all-time daily record on Friday, broke it again on Saturday and for a third time on Monday. Self-guided cycling and walking specialist Macs Adventure also had a good Friday – reporting its biggest day in its 20-year history.
By contrast, upmarket sun and sand operator Sovereign, and Italy specialist Citalia, had their best day on Monday, as did Vintage Travel, which said it was its busiest day selling villa holidays since 2017. Only easyJet holidays hit the jackpot on Sunshine Saturday itself, declaring it “our best ever sales day”.
What seems to be happening is really a continuation of the tradition of a steep rise in bookings after the Christmas holidays. As Trailfinders pointed out to me, we should think of Sunshine Saturdays as not just a one-off but a way of looking at the whole of January.
We might question all the marketing speak, but there is no doubt that bookings have had an exceptionally strong start this year – the first time since 2020 that we have been free of the shadow of the pandemic.
The most popular choices?
It wasn’t necessarily the peak school holiday dates that were among the strongest sellers. EasyJet said Cyprus has seen the biggest growth in popularity compared with last year, while June was the busiest month for beach bookings with Mallorca leading the way along with Tenerife and Lanzarote – the same destinations that are topping Sovereign’s bookings. Market leader Tui said that Mallorca, Rhodes, Crete and Dalaman in Turkey are performing strongly.
The most popular destinations with villa operators seem to be Greece and Spain. Vintage Travel said that half its bookings have been for the Balearic islands and Simpson reported particularly strong demand for Mallorca. The Thinking Traveller said Sicily is also doing especially well.
Is it too late to get a bargain?
Certainly not. EasyJet’s “Big Orange” sale, which promises savings of up to £300 on holidays, runs until the end of the month. Kuoni’s has no advertised end date. And anyway, even flash sales limited to last weekend don’t always deliver on their promises. According to Jo Rhodes of Which? Travel, “in the past, we found that in more than half of cases, they were the same price, or even cheaper, after the sale ended”.
My advice? Ignore the supposed discount. Look at the bottom line price and, instead of trying to guess whether it is going to go up or down, decide if you think it offers good value now – and book. By definition, early bookers have the best choice of accommodation and flights. Just as importantly, once booked you can relax and look forward to your summer break knowing it is all sorted. That feeling of excitement and anticipation is one of the joys of travel.