Advantage Travel Partnership says its members are seeing a ‘dramatic’ spike in customers looking to book very last-minute holidays to escape the wet summer in the UK.

CEO Julia Lo Bue-Said said 18% of bookings in the last month have been for travel in August, which is 4% more than usual.

She said: “Today’s (3 August)  interest rate rise shows that spending in the UK has gone down, high street footfall is also down and prices remain high. However, the UK’s outbound travel industry appears to be bucking the trend once again.”

The most popular destinations for late bookings are Spain, Greece, Turkey and Italy, which Julia said proved that the European heatwave has not had a ‘significant’ impact on holiday bookings.

All-inclusive packages remain at 37% of the total, compared to just 13% in 2022, demonstrating that customers are looking to manage their budgets and they’re seeking peace of mind, added Julia.