Travelopia’s tailor-made operators see ‘marked increase’ in repeat bookings

Travelopia’s tailor-made operators Sovereign Luxury Travel, Citalia and American Holidays have detailed a “marked increase” in repeat bookings for the late summer and winter sun booking periods.

A statement from the group said the volume of repeat bookers had increased share of winter sun bookings by a quarter, from 50% in 2023-2024 to currently 75% in 2024-2025.

For Sovereign Luxury Travel, nearly half (42%) of all winter sun bookings are from repeat clients, with Tenerife making up a quarter of all repeat bookings. More than half (54%) are for departures in February, with trips averaging 9.75 nights.

Italy specialist Citalia reported that a quarter of its winter sun bookings are repeat, with city breaks in Venice, Rome and Florence proving most popular. The average length of stay of these bookings is around five nights.

Across North America, American Holidays has seen a fifth of all winter sun bookings come from repeat clients.

The operator reported Florida as the most popular destination for November departures, followed by New York, cruise holidays and the rest of the US in December.

A fifth of American Holidays’ repeat winter bookings are for departures in December, with the average trip duration being 11.6 nights.

Travelopia’s tailor-made operators have also reported that repeat bookings for summer 2024 are up as much as 40%.

Citalia has seen a marked increase in demand for Italian lakes year-on-year as well as Sicily, with particular interest in Taormina and Cefalu.

Sovereign Luxury Travel has reported a shift towards extended shorter breaks, with Spain themost popular destination in terms of bookings and enquiries.

For American Holidays, destinations such as The Deep South, New England and the West Coast make up nearly a quarter of repeat summer bookings. New England in particular has seen a 50% increase year-on-year.

Erin Johnson, marketing director for Citalia, Sovereign Luxury Travel and American Holidays, said: “Reassuringly, there is still a strong commitment to holiday spend. However, guests are keen to ensure they are taking valuable time out to destinations and with agents and operators they know they trust. This is good news for us as tour operators and for agents, as well as across the wider supply chain, as it means there is already a captive market to engage with who know and appreciate a particular destination or hotel and are keen to revisit.

“Looking further ahead to 2025, beyond the winter months we are also already seeing a significant proportion of bookings as repeat for those guests keen to plan ahead as well as secure holidays for the winter sun season.”