'Sunshine Saturday' kicks off predicted rise in package hols

PACKAGE holiday bookings are expected to increase by 5% this year, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

- BY NEIL LANCEFIELD

The regulator, which administers the Atol travel financial protection scheme, also forecast that 200,000 more holidaymakers will book trips in January compared with the 4.3 million who did so during the same month in 2025.

Today — the first Saturday in January — is called Sunshine Saturday by the sector, as it is one of the busiest days of the year for bookings.

Firms expect it to kickstart a 5% increase in demand for trips in the year to the end of September, compared with the previous 12 months.