How was trading in Summer 2026? We surveyed travel businesses to find out

Summer 2026 seems to have finished more strongly than it started. Many travel businesses saw bookings pick up as the season progressed, with August a particularly strong month.

Our latest industry survey tells a similar story. Most respondents reported higher passenger numbers and average prices than last summer, and two-thirds are already ahead on 2027 departures.

The more interesting finding is what’s happening to profit. Despite those stronger sales figures, 54% of respondents no longer expect to hit their budgeted profit target for the current financial year.

Here’s what the latest results tell us about how the travel sector is trading as we head into autumn.

Passenger numbers show strong growth

Passenger numbers paint an encouraging picture, with 64% of respondents reporting an increase compared with Summer 2025. More than four in ten (43%) said passenger numbers were over 10% ahead.

This matters because much of the sector’s growth in recent years has come from higher average prices rather than passenger volumes. Seeing volumes rise suggests demand held up over the summer.

Travelcast guest speaker, Paul Nunn from Advantage Travel Partnership, backed up this positive summer story, saying, ‘We’re up on 2025 by 14%. It’s great to see an increase in the family booking market as well.’

Average prices are climbing too

Alongside rising volumes, average selling prices continued to climb over the summer, with 61% of respondents reporting an increase compared with Summer 2025.

Almost a third (29%) said prices were more than 10% ahead, suggesting customers are still travelling despite significantly higher costs. However, higher selling prices don’t necessarily translate into a healthier bottom line, as rising operational costs continue to put pressure on margins.

Stronger sales, but profits remain under pressure

Despite the positive picture on prices and passenger numbers, 54% of respondents no longer expect to meet their budgeted profit target for the current financial year, which highlights one of the biggest challenges facing travel businesses. 

Stronger sales don’t necessarily mean stronger profits. Rising overheads and the wider cost of doing business mean many operators are having to work harder to generate the same returns.

There’s no single story on booking windows

Booking windows remain unpredictable, with 42% of respondents reporting shorter booking windows than at the same point last year, while 29% are seeing longer windows and 29% little change.

This fits with the ultra-late booking behaviour we’ve been seeing across parts of the market, including in Advantage’s data, where 45% of bookings departed within 12 weeks, with Paul Nunn describing the “huge amount” as “incredible”. .

But it isn’t happening everywhere. 

A positive start for 2027

Even though there’s been a shift towards later bookings in some parts of the market, the results suggest there is still plenty of appetite to commit further ahead, especially if customers want to lock in specific dates, availability or experiences. 

Cruise, for example, continues to see customers booking much further ahead and forward bookings are encouraging in other segments too, with 66% of respondents ahead for 2027 departures compared with the same point last year. Almost a third (31%) are more than 10% ahead, while just 10% are currently behind.

Overall, the results point to a stronger end to the summer than many expected, with encouraging signs for 2027. But changing booking patterns and continued pressure on margins mean travel businesses still need to plan carefully for the months ahead.

You can hear more about these insights on our September TTC Insights Travelcast, available now on demand or take a look at our travel sentiment-ometer for more detail.

If you liked this article, we think you’ll love these:

• TTC Travel Fundamentals – 3 June 2026
• Your ATOL renewal invite has landed. What next?