Portugal holiday bookings soar as Brit bookings to Green List countries jump by five times

Adara, the leader in predictive intelligence for optimal consumer engagement, is today revealing the impact of the government’s new traffic light system for foreign travel on consumer behaviours. In a study of bookings and searches from 1st May to 9th May, the data shows that bookings immediately jumped by a near 500% increase from the 8th May, when the Green List was announced. Portugal is the number one destination for UK travellers looking to go abroad.

With the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, revealing the 12 nations and territories that have qualified for “no quarantine” status, ADARA has analysed searches and bookings to green tier destinations. The study found that the most popular ‘green’ tier country for UK travellers is Portugal (68.2% share of all green tier bookings), followed by Australia (9.5% of all green tier bookings) and Israel (6.8% share of all green tier bookings). Portugal’s increase is so stark that the country currently represents 15% of all UK bookings.

ADARA’s top 5 green tier destinations for UK travellers from highest to lowest:

1. Portugal – 68.2% of all bookings / 67.8% of all searches
2. Australia – 9.5% of all bookings / 6.1% of all searches
3. Israel – 6.8% of all bookings / 6.2% of all searches
4. Gibraltar – 3.9% of all bookings / 9.1% of all searches
5. New Zealand – 3.8% of all bookings /  1.9% of all searches 

The impact of the government’s traffic light system announcement has had wider implications for the travel industry. Since the Transport Secretary’s press conference on May 7th, bookings and searches have increased by 500% and 86% over the past week.

Carolyn Corda, CMO of ADARA, said, “Portugal’s tourism industry should be preparing for a busy summer, inundated with Brits eager for a holiday abroad. Given that the UK government is making only 12 countries and territories green list destinations, not surprisingly bookings have surged to those limited destinations. Our data shows an immediate increase in searches and bookings following the Transport Secretary’s statement on Friday afternoon. Portugal is a key European destination that appeals for its relative proximity to the UK, and the fact that it is not currently requiring visitors to have had both vaccinations.

What these findings clearly demonstrate is that people are very keen to travel and are poised and ready to book. The challenge for travel companies in Portugal will be reducing the risk that people cancel their plans and switch to a different destination as other countries are added to the green list. Travel brands currently on the amber and red list have to continue to communicate their appeal in hopes of easing restrictions. While there is a deep reservoir of demand, the situation is very fluid and having the consumer insights and the ability to target segments of travellers with the right message remains critical to salvaging the summer travel season.”