The UK’s fastest growing online independent travel agent can report a dramatic increase in people booking holidays following the festive comedown and freezing conditions, when compared to the same time last year.

Since December and when compared to the same time last year, www.sunshine.co.uk has seen a huge increase in bookings for holidays to hot destinations like the Canary Islands and Egypt, as the ice and snow is tempting more people to head abroad to lift their spirits caused by the January blues. 

With the recession declared over by economists at the end of December and the icy weather taking its toll on Britain’s roads and population, there has been a 67% rise in the number of bookings for holidays on sunshine.co.uk. More people can now afford to enjoy a break away from the weather as a result which is both positive for the travel industry and holidaymakers in general.

January 2009 saw some low temperatures, but not to the extent of the conditions that the country is currently experiencing. Sunshine.co.uk wanted to find out what factors were influencing people to start making bookings, so collected the thoughts of 1,226 Brits.

83% of respondents admit to being in a better financial position now than this time last year to book a holiday and 2 in 3 said that escaping the cold was a top reason for wanting to get some winter sun. Almost half, 48%, said they were feeling slightly low now that Christmas is officially over and of those people, 95% said a holiday would cheer them up.

Chris Brown, co-founder of sunshine.co.uk, commented on the rise in bookings;

“It is extremely encouraging to see this current rise in holiday bookings, not just for us as a travel agent, but for the thousands of people that have wanted to get away for a while, but who have been restricted by their finances. The recession affected us all in some way, but it’s good to see things are now looking up in the economy.”

“In an ideal world, I think everyone wants an annual holiday and now it is possible. The desire to get away for a week or two to somewhere sunny has definitely been heightened by the snow that the UK is experiencing and the January blues that many suffer from after Christmas.”