TUI sees the same in others

Bad weather continues in the Netherlands. As a result, travel organisations, including Corendon, Sunweb and TUI, are seeing an increase in the number of last-minute bookings.

While summer temperatures were reaching our country this time last year, little of that has happened these weeks. The Netherlands regularly experiences (heavy) rainfall and sunlight is rare. With temperatures ranging between 10 and 20 degrees, the weather is nothing to write home about. “The weather does not seem to be improving in June, and the chance of summer temperatures in the Netherlands is still very slim,” says Sunweb spokeswoman Martine Langerack, adding that additional bookings for winter holidays have already been taken by 50 percent. It was introduced for the winter in NU.nl.

More bookings to sunnier destinations

In contrast, Mediterranean countries, including Greece, Spain and Turkey, are experiencing high temperatures and good weather. In the southernmost part of Spain, Malaga, temperatures this week reached 30 degrees. At the last minute, Sunweb saw the number of last-minute bookings rise, while Corendon saw that number double. TUI reports that 87 percent more bookings were made this week than in June the previous year. The tour operator adds that the Dutch have booked 20 percent more trips with it this summer than in July and August last year.

Europeans do the same thing

TUI, the travel organization that operates in several European countries, has announced that Germans (despite the European Football Championship starting the day before yesterday), Belgians, Britons and Scandinavians are also making last-minute bookings to the Mediterranean country en masse.