Why ‘Sunshine Saturday’ has travel operators crossing their fingers
Black Friday’s travel-focused cousin, Sunshine Saturday, is set to fall on 4 January in 2025.
Occuring on the first Saturday of every new year, Sunshine Saturday is the day most people book their holiday getaways for the year ahead.
With Heathrow Airport set to cap off its busiest-ever year with two record months and Virgin Atlantic hoping to make its first post-pandemic profit in the 2024 financial year, it looks like the travel industry’s passenger problems are firmly in the rearview mirror.
But even if numbers are up, recovery is still underway, and travel and tour operators will be hoping for an uptick in year-on-year bookings to shore up their balance sheets, Chris Tate, head of travel at RSM UK, said.
“Real wages continue to rise, and with interest rates starting to fall, pressure on household finances is beginning to ease,” he added.
“Consumers are cautiously optimistic but will still be on the lookout for a bargain so we may see another increase in package holidays to help consumers manage costs and budget effectively.”
Luck – or shopping trends – seem to be on the side of travel companies, as Brits increasingly turn to experiences like holidays instead of buying goods.
In fact, an RSM survey found 41 per cent of consumers plan to take an overseas holiday for longer than five days in 2025 – up from 35 per cent last year.
Demand for a weekend overseas trip looks set to jump, too, with almost a third of consumers planning a short break, up from a quarter. Only 15 per cent of Brits aren’t planning on going away at all, the survey found.
As one of the busiest days of the year for the travel industry, Sunshine Saturday will be the first opportunity companies have to suss out how consumers want to spend their money this year.