Pandemic sees April and May 2021 become the most popular months for Britons to book holidays for – and Cyprus is the No1 destination

  • A holiday price comparison site looked at its booking data over the past month 
  • Popular destinations for bookings include Costa Blanca, Orlando and Tenerife
  • October 2020 is the most popular departure month for package deal searches
  • Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, April and May 2021 have become the most popular months for Britons to book overseas package holidays for.

That's according to UK data gathered over the past month by TravelSupermarket, which revealed that the most booked destination is Paphos in Cyprus, followed by the Costa Blanca then Orlando.

The rest of the top 10 most booked destinations list comprises Tenerife (fourth), New York (fifth), the resorts around Antalya in Turkey (sixth), the resorts around Dalaman in Turkey (seventh), Dominican Republic (eighth), Ibiza (ninth) and Majorca (10th).

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, April and May 2021 have become the most popular months for Britons to book overseas package holidays for

As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, April and May 2021 have become the most popular months for Britons to book overseas package holidays for 

The holiday price comparison site also revealed that October 2020 is the most popular future departure month for package holiday searches, followed by September 2020, December 2020 and then May and April 2021.

Emma Coulthurst, from TravelSupermarket, said: 'Who would have thought that the most popular times to book a holiday in May 2020 would be in a year’s time?

'But that is what the pandemic is currently doing to booking patterns.

'Quarantines and the current Foreign and Commonwealth Office restriction on anything but essential travel mean that people are holding back on booking for this year compared with next year.

The most booked destination for April and May 2021 is Paphos in Cyprus, pictured, followed by the Costa Blanca then Orlando

The most booked destination for April and May 2021 is Paphos in Cyprus, pictured, followed by the Costa Blanca then Orlando 

MOST BOOKED, MOST SEARCHED AND BEST VALUE DESTINATIONS

The most booked destinations for April and May 2021 in the past month

1. Paphos, Cyprus

2. Costa Blanca (including Benidorm)

3. Orlando

4. Tenerife

5. New York

6. Antalya resorts, Turkey

7. Dalaman resorts, Turkey

8. Dominican Republic

9. Ibiza

10. Majorca

The most searched destinations for April 2021 in the past month

1. Maldives

2. Las Vegas

3. New York

4. Orlando

5. Costa Blanca including Benidorm

6. Cancun, Mexico

7. Caribbean Coast, Mexico

8. Dominican Republic

9. Bali, Indonesia

10. Tenerife

11. Majorca

12. Amsterdam

13. Jamaica

14. Venice

15. Rome

16. Costa Del Sol, Spain

17. Antalya resorts, Turkey  

18. Dubai

19. Algarve, Portugal

20. Balearic Islands

The most searched destinations for May 2021 in the past month  

1. Orlando

2. Majorca

3. Costa Blanca including Benidorm

4. Tenerife

5. Cancun, Mexico

6. Antalya resorts, Turkey

7. Dalaman resorts, Turkey

8. Paphos, Cyprus

9. Ibiza

10. Lanzarote

11. Crete, Greece

12. Algarve, Portugal

13. Costa Del Sol, Spain

14. Jamaica

15. Cape Verde

16. Zante, Greece

17. Costa Dorada, Spain

18. Sorrento, Italy

19. Gran Canaria

20. Dominican Republic

The best value destinations for April and May 2021 

1. Majorca

2. Malta

3. Costa del Sol 

4. Ibiza

5. Menorca

6. Lanzarote

7. Zante

8. Algarve 

9. Costa Blanca

10. Gran Canaria  

Source: TravelSupermarket 

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'We know that there is a pent-up desire to travel. We’re seeing people searching for holidays later in the year, October being the most popular month to look for a holiday.

'As the picture becomes clearer on the exact health protocols put in place at airports and on airlines and whether our government and countries will let us travel, more people are likely to book for this year. Currently, though, we’re seeing more Britons hedging their bets on holidays next year.'

According to TravelSupermarket, the top three best value April and May 2021 package holiday deals are a seven-night stay in Majorca for £151pp, a trip to Malta for seven nights from April 6 for £178pp - and a break in the Costa del Sol for a week for £198pp.

Last week, meanwhile, Travel Supermarket revealed that desperate holiday companies have been slashing prices by hundreds of pounds to secure bookings for winter getaways.

For example, Tui had dropped the cost of one ten-night break in the Maldives starting on November 29 by £800.

Three weeks ago the firm was advertising, through the price-comparison site, an all-inclusive stay for two at Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon for £2,376pp. This dropped to £1,945pp last week.

Emma said that some companies were clearly trying to re-stimulate the market.

According to TravelSupermarket, the best value destination for a package holiday next April and May is Majorca. Pictured is the island's Platja des Carregador beach

According to TravelSupermarket, the best value destination for a package holiday next April and May is Majorca. Pictured is the island's Platja des Carregador beach

As well as the aforementioned example, she said that ‘you can get the equivalent of an extra star for your money or a higher-value board type in terms of value on some autumn/winter holidays’.

She also reported that for package holidays departing October 1 to December 31, prices had dropped across the market between April 14 and May 14 compared to the March 14 to April 14 period.

Average prices to Dubai, using TravelSupermarket searches, were down 30 per cent; Corfu down by 19 per cent; Majorca - 16 per cent; Antalya and region - 14 per cent; Barcelona - 14 per cent; Berlin - 14 per cent; Mauritius - 14 per cent; Gran Canaria - 14 per cent; Goa - 14 per cent; Cyprus - 14 per cent, and Tenerife - 11 per cent.

Meanwhile yesterday, the Portuguese island of Madeira announced it will pay for all tourists to have a coronavirus test on arrival.

The archipelago, along with its sister island Porto Santo, is set to open to international travellers again from July 1.

But to be allowed in, tourists will either have to present documentation showing they've had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours prior to arriving in Madeira or show they're in the clear from a free test administered upon arrival.

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