The May holiday is more popular than ever this year. Tour operators are recording more bookings than last year. The bad weather in the Netherlands gives travelers a (last minute) push towards the sun. TUI Netherlands reports 10 percent more travellers during the May holidays compared to last year. ‘Many Dutch people are fed up with the winter and the bad weather and are looking forward to summer and sunshine. The spring climate in many southern destinations already offers a nice guarantee of nice weather, without too much heat.’ Turkey has become more popular as a May holiday destination, especially in the last month, with a 25 percent increase in the number of bookings. An interesting runner up at TUI is Egypt. ‘The uncertainty is very attractive in the spring. No less than 40 percent more Dutch people than last year will go to Egypt during the May holidays.’ The top five sun destinations in the May holidays at TUI consist of Spain, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Portugal. Curaçao is by far the favorite for a faraway sun holiday at TUI, followed by Bonaire and Bali. Cancun (Mexico) and Dubai follow at an appropriate distance from the top 3. According to TUI, holidays to Zanzibar (Tanzania) still show the greatest growth with an increase of 62 percent compared to the previous May holiday. City trips also do well at TUI during the May holidays. The number of city trips during the May holidays is 20 percent higher than in May last year. New York tops the list of city destinations. ‘And Valencia is now officially the public’s favourite among Spanish cities.’ According to TUI, more than 70 percent more Dutch people than last year are going out by car during the May holidays. Denmark is the largest destination with the Billund region (Legoland) for family vacations. Corendon: Alanya Corendon sees almost a quarter (23 percent) more bookings to Turkey for the May holidays. Alanya, the retro destination on the Turkish Riviera, is reviving as a popular destination for the upcoming school holidays. According to Corendon, the Turkish seaside resort is experiencing exponential growth with the number of bookings more than doubling compared to last year. ‘Alanya is making a comeback’, says Gunay Uslu, CEO of Corendon. “With direct flights from Amsterdam to Alanya-Gazipasa Airport, we are now making it even easier for holidaymakers to discover this bustling seaside resort. Due to the short transfer time from the airport, travelers can enjoy their vacation in Alanya even longer. In addition to relaxing on the beach and exploring historical sites, Alanya also offers a lively nightlife, cozy restaurants and shops, and many opportunities for excursions to the hinterland. Another advantage: on average, prices in Alanya are about 15-20 percent lower than in Antalya for comparable accommodations. After Turkey, the top five for the May holiday at Corendon consists of Greece, Spain, Curaçao and Egypt respectively. Overall, bookings have increased by 20 percent. Number three Spain also shows an increase of more than 20 percent for the May holidays. In addition, Curaçao is a popular Corendon destination: since November last year, Corendon itself has been flying to the Caribbean island. There is a direct flight five times a week, where passengers can choose to travel in peace and quiet in the now well-known Only Adult zone.
Sunweb: Crete Sunweb Group (Sunweb and Eliza was were) sees a small increase in bookings (+5 percent) for the May holidays compared to last year. Consumers mainly opt for uncertainty in combination with great offers. Crete and Zakynthos were already the most popular islands last year and are also the two most popular destinations during the May holidays this year. Zakynthos even sees a doubling of bookings at Corendon compared to 2023. In addition to Greece, Portugal and Spain always do well. This year, Gran Canaria, Algarve and Mallorca complete the top five most popular destinations for the May holidays with Sunweb. As with Zakynthos, the number of passengers for Mallorca has doubled. The top 5 destinations for the May holidays at Sunweb consist of Crete, Zakynthos (+104 percent), Gran Canaria, Algarve and Mallorca (+93.4 percent). Egypt is also popular again this year, says Sunweb. “As a result, flights to Hurghada and Marsa Alam are highly sought after and sell out quickly.” All inclusive Turkey is by far the most popular destination for the May holidays at the Holiday Discounter.
‘Thanks to the affordable all-inclusive options.’ According to the VakantieDiscounter, 32 percent of all holidaymakers travel to Turkey.
In 2023, Turkey was also the most popular destination for the May holidays, but then the country only narrowly beat Spain. It is now head and shoulders above the rest. The top 5 destinations for the May holidays consist of Turkey, Spain, Greece, Italy and Egypt. According to ANVR director Frank Oostdam, it has been too hot for many tourists in recent years at many southern European destinations during the summer holidays. To Nu.nl, he calls the May holiday the perfect alternative. ‘Bookings are up everywhere. The May holidays are now part of the high season.’ (Photo: Shutterstock).
