A leading travel association, the Association of British Travel Agents, released a recent report that highlighted the increase in popularity of package holidays. The findings make interesting reading, and this report has identified certain trends for the 2013 holiday market.

Fed up

Increasingly, consumers are prepared to spend a little more on their package holidays in order to avoid the tears and frustrations of lengthy airport delays, horrible traffic jams and various other catastrophes that can overwhelm the independent holidaymaker. This trend is reflected in the growing number of train holidays that are advertised and the variety of tours and destinations that are on offer.

Holiday

For those that work the average week of 37.5 hours, a holiday is a very precious commodity. This may be one of the reasons why all-inclusive holidays have become so popular

In a separate report, ABTA pointed out that ‘rail breaks were up, increasing to 23 per cent in 2012’. One of the main reasons behind these figures is that consumers value security and cost effectiveness – features provided by package holidays and rail journeys in particular.

You don’t have to pay toll charges on a train; the passenger or holidaymaker simply books their holiday, safe in the knowledge that all expenses have been included in the overall price of the holiday. Petrol prices are always fluctuating, language can prove to be a problem and hotel bookings can prove a bit of an adventure in themselves. The hotel websites are often far more splendid than the reality, whereas a package holiday lives up to its reputation of excellence.

Horizons

Rail holidays can definitely broaden horizons. If you’ve ever wanted to see Mongolia then board a train and see your first yurt; it really is that simple. Not everyone is a naturally intrepid explorer and a rail holiday is a great way to explore the world without encountering delays and drama.

Tour operators never forget that the customer is looking for value for money and, therefore, travellers can rest assured that once they’ve booked their trip they will be accompanied by professional experts throughout their journey.

Victoria Bacon, spokeswoman for ABTA, said:

‘The market has evolved to offer greater choice to holidaymakers. It’s no longer just a week in Benidorm… the market is now very sophisticated with packages to cater for every taste.’