More people are spending the spring holiday break abroad, with 10 to 20% more bookings for package holidays to winter sports destinations Austria and France,  figures from travel trade association ANVR have shown.

Embarrassment about flying and high inflation is not keeping holidaymakers nearer home, in what promises to be a “bumper year”, the organisation said.

The upward trend is confirmed by travel organisation Sunweb, which saw a 16% increase in snowbound bookings during the spring break, a Sunweb spokesman told Nu.nl.

Trips to sunny destinations are also up, by some 7%, he said, particularly to Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

The ANVR said the figures are part of an upward trend across the board, with summer bookings already up by 15% compared to 2023. Greece, in particular, is popular.  Bookings so far are up by 35% despite last year’s soaring summer heat.

Corendon said summer bookings are currently up 20% on last year. “We are back at pre-Covid level,” a spokesman said. Alanya, Curçao and Egypt are among the destinations scoring well, he said.

According to a recent survey by congress and tourism board NBTC, holidays at home are out of favour, with just one in five planning to stay in the Netherlands for their long break. Last year, 27% of households did not go abroad for a holiday.

The NBTC survey also shows a of 85% of the Dutch plan to take a holiday this year, up from 79% in 2023.