‘Sunshine Saturday’: UK firms expect 5% January rise in holiday bookings

Quieter destinations, such as Malta's sister island, Gozo, and long-haul locations are expected to be popular

UK travel companies are bracing for one of their busiest periods for bookings as winter-wearied consumers plan sunny breaks, with package holiday bookings forecast to be up 5% this January.

The Civil Aviation Authority, the regulator that administers the Atol travel financial protection scheme, has forecast that 200,000 more holidaymakers will book trips this month compared with the 4.3 million who did so in the same period last year.