Caribtours sees 50% increase in late travel bookings

Holiday-booking patterns are proving difficult to predict this year, according to Paul Cleary, manager director of Caribtours.

The luxury Caribbean specialist has seen late travel bookings increase by 50% in the first three months of this year to March 31, compared to the same period last year.

“In March alone, 70% of our sales were for travel within two to four weeks of booking instead of the more usual pattern of two to three months ahead,” said Cleary.

“However, it’s clear there is still a strong appetite for luxury travel.”

To drum up bookings, five-star resorts, such as Carlisle Bay in Antigua are offering savings of £2,000 per couple for seven nights’ full board on bookings made before April 30.

Caribtours launched a fully bookable website at the start of 2011 and reported volumes up 20% on predicted numbers for its first three months of going live.