Active breaks lift summer bookings

Demand for activity holidays has lifted 2011 bookings, Tui Travel said yesterday. The owner of Thomson Holidays said bookings for its "differentiated" products, which include sporting breaks such as Sunsail yacht charters, were up 26 per cent for next summer, fuelling a 7 per cent rise in UK summer bookings.

The encouraging outlook came as Tui Travel reported a 4 per cent rise in profits before tax and exceptionals to £337m for the year to the end of September, after a 2 per cent decline in revenues to £13.5bn.