Rising costs and global instability have contributed to four out of ten consumers not yet booking a holiday this year, a new survey has found.
According to the Q2 Travel Sentiment Survey from Click&Go Holidays, rising costs remain the single biggest factor influencing travel decisions – with almost seven in ten, or 68%, respondents who are yet to book saying that is the reason.
The nationwide survey of 1,068 respondents, which was carried out between 7 and 9 July, also found that while almost a third of them have already booked a 2026 getaway, the majority of those still planning to travel intend to book over the coming months, with September the most popular booking month at 26%.
Meanwhile, the findings indicated global events continue to impact consumer confidence, with 38% of respondents saying geopolitical conflicts and global instability are highly influencing their travel decisions.
However, this is an improvement from the Q1 survey, when 48% cited geopolitical concerns as a major influence.
More than half, or 56%, of those surveyed said they intend to take a traditional sun holiday this year, while cruises continue to grow in popularity, accounting for 19% of planned holidays, with city breaks next at 14%.
The Click&Go Chief Executive said people are ‘becoming increasingly strategic about when they book’
The study suggested that 2% of consumers intend to holiday within Ireland – a significant drop from 11% in the Q1 survey.
Meanwhile, Click&Go Holidays said average sun holidays have risen in price by around 5% compared with last year.
Over half of parents, or 57%, surveyed said they would consider taking their children out of school to benefit from lower prices for family holidays.
Click&Go Chief Executive Paul Hackett said Irish people are “becoming increasingly strategic about when they book and how they manage their travel budget”.
He added that “whilst the recent spell of good weather has seen a slowdown in late booking for travel in the next few weeks, the focus on booking from September onwards speaks to the fact that Irish consumers know the good weather is unlikely to last indefinitely”.
September, he said, “is shaping up to be a particularly busy booking period, as many consumers continue to monitor prices and look for the best value before committing”.