TUI Travel, which owns Thompson Holidays, was delighted with the remarkable surge in customer demand as travellers ignore the recent economic slump. The company said that bookings for the summer season had significantly risen to 13 per cent in the past six weeks in spite of the nine per cent increase in the selling price of tour packages.

British travellers before had faced weaker pound and currency exchange rates due to the recession, which also hindered most of them from travelling. But as of TUI’s latest figures, holidaymakers are now starting to travel abroad after not doing so for two consecutive summers.

The projected unemployment rate due to recession was not as high as earlier feared, while would-be tourists are still high in spirits and undeterred over the impending tax hikes that the UK government is planning to pass on to travellers.

TUI said that the increase in holiday booking is well ahead of its earlier projections. The company saw huge demands in Nordic and French markets, with current bookings up by 23 per cent and 21 per cent respectively. TUI also informed that its winter holiday packages are now almost fully sold, with only few packages left at discounted price.