According to TUI Travel, last year’s trend for ‘staycations’ is over and holidaymakers are now keen to get away to foreign climes in order to soak up a bit of summer sun. TUI, which owns First Choice and Thomson Holidays, said that a bounce back to normal behaviour was illustrated by an increase this year in holiday bookings from the UK. Between the middle of March and the beginning of May, TUI claim that bookings were up by five per cent.

Although there is still a lack of confidence in economic recovery, Peter Long, TUI’s chief executive, said that there was strong recovery in the holiday market. He added that those who spent the summer at home last year have returned with the attitude that nothing is going to stop them getting away this year.

Mr Long said that the disruption caused by the volcanic ash cloud, which hovered over Europe last month, was encouraging people back to the traditional package holiday. He added that people were realising that a package deal afforded much more protection when something went wrong than a DIY holiday.

Mr Long went on to say that by booking trips through companies like TUI, Thomson and First Choice, customers would not only get a great deal, but would also be investing in peace of mind. He said that when something goes wrong with his company, there will always be a member of staff on hand to deal with the situation.

Easyjet has announced that 47 per cent of its summer seats have already been sold, suggesting that more people are looking to escape the UK this year. However, the airline’s chief executive Andy Harrison said he did not agree with Mr Long’s assessment of package holidays, pointing out that they have been falling from fashion ever since the Rolling Stones were top of the charts.