It’s more important now than ever to provide holidaymakers with great budget options, say online travel agency, On the Beach. This comes after findings from a report which suggests that business and leisure demand continues to rise despite economic uncertainty. Marketing Director at On the Beach, Alistair Daly, points out that the onus is now on the travel industry to provide excellent budget options for cash-strapped travellers who still want a break in a sunny destination.

The report, the Pegasus View, published a year-on-year increase in global alternative distribution bookings in leisure travel of 4.7 per cent, with average daily rates increasing by 2.5 per cent. Although corporate travel appears to be coming up trumps with a 2.9 per cent rate increase, the findings suggest that even the more challenged regions are maintaining or exceeding prior-year revenue levels. 

Daly comments, “People are booking family holidays, despite perhaps cutting down on expenditure in other areas. The good news is that leisure travel is continuing to improve, so this holiday season is set to be better than in previous years, and we can look forward to further improvements for 2012.”

“As a result, On the Beach are focusing on destinations that are popular for short to medium-length stays with affordable accommodation, such as trips to Turkey or holidays to the Balearic Islands. We recognise the need to keep up with the pace of travel, which has increased despite gloomy forecasts, and goes to show there’s nothing quite like getting away for a bit with the family.”