Predictions for ‘Sunshine Saturday’ proved correct, as Thomson and First Choice saw the busiest day of the year this weekend.
According to the UK-based holiday company, almost 1.2 million people visited a Thomson shop or searched for a holiday online last Saturday, with more than 36,000 people booking a holiday.
Online bookings represented an increase of 25 percent compared to the same day in 2013. Sunshine Saturday continued into Sunshine Sunday online, with a 24 percent growth in online bookings on Sunday, compared to the same day in 2013.
Thomson and First Choice’s highest web sales were registered on Sunday, beating the previous peak by 26 percent.
Sharm el Sheikh, Majorca and Ibiza were the most popular short- and mid-haul destinations booked online, with the Caribbean coast of Mexico as the long-haul favourite.
In line with the trend over the Christmas and New Year period, bookings via Thomson and First Choice’s fully mobile optimised websites were up 130 percent via tablet, and 78 percent via mobile, compared to the same period in 2013.
Jeremy Ellis, marketing and digital director for Thomson and First Choice said: ‘The majority of people have two key periods of time to look forward to every year – Christmas and their annual summer holiday. With Christmas firmly out of the way and so many fantastic deals available it is no surprise that we are seeing more people booking their sunshine break as soon as they go back to work!’
In addition to TV advertising, Thomson and First Choice supported its busiest day with a series of press adverts, including the launch of Thomson’s ‘Live’ press campaign. On Saturday, national newspapers also featured a glimpse of Sensatori Mexico and its desirable weather, together with an offer of up to GBP400 off the price of a holiday per couple.
Travelling to 88 destinations in over 30 countries, Thomson and First Choice, a part of TUI UK & Ireland, take over 5.5 million customers away each year.
