150 years of package holidays...and going strong

William Green from the Yorkshire Posts article is an interesting overview:

EVEN though the modern holidaymaker can book cheap flights at the click of a mouse, the package holiday is as popular as ever 150 years after being launched.

Back in 1855, Leicestershire cabinetmaker Thomas Cook arranged the first-ever package holiday for 40 people, visiting Germany, Belgium and France by sea and rail.And despite current trends for destinations off the beaten track, about 20m holiday packages were taken last year – roughly the same number as for the previous four years and accounting for a third of all trips booked abroad.

The package holiday has also survived the rise of low-cost airlines and cheap web deals which experts were only a few years ago predicting would sound the death knell for traditional high street travel agents.The findings have emerged from a survey by travel firm Thomas Cook to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first overseas package holiday.

The top destination for tourists from Yorkshire is Majorca, followed by Tenerife, Lanzarote and the Algarve. Gran Canaria, Costa Blanca, Zante, Ibiza, Turkey and Cyprus are also in the top 10 destinations.

Manny Fontenla-Novoa, chief executive of Thomas Cook UK & Ireland, said: "Everyone is always quick to say that the package is coming undone but that is simply not true."Our data shows that, far from dying a death, the package holiday is experiencing something of a renaissance."He said people appreciated the benefits of booking a package with a bonded travel company, in light of recent natural disasters and international terrorism.

Tony Hopkins, the firm's tour operations director of product and publishing, said: "The package holiday is not limited to two weeks in Torremolinos anymore. Today's sophisticated package holidaymaker is more likely to be going to Croatia, Turkey, Brazil, or Cuba."He said British travellers increasingly wanted the best of both worlds, adding: "On one hand, they want to holiday off the beaten track... But, on the other, they want to be in a comfortable environment where as much is sorted out for them as possible. So the modern package holiday has many benefits."