Lastminute.com sees Middle East conflict prompt ‘rebalancing’ of destinations

Lastminute.com has reported a “rebalancing” of destinations because of the conflict in the Middle East, with holidaymakers still determined to travel.

A trends report from the online travel agency said: “The evolving situation in the Middle East is reshaping destination choices across Europe, with travellers gravitating towards familiar and trusted favourites.

“British holidaymakers leaned into major European cities such as Rome, Amsterdam and Paris, with sunshine in Spain accounting for five of the top 10 fastest-growing destinations, led by Majorca (+16% YoY).”

Alessandro Petazzi, chief executive of lastminute.com, told Travel Weekly: “The desire to travel has not changed. We’ve seen more a rebalancing of destinations and maybe a desire to wait a bit longer before booking.

“Because of our brand, almost seven out of 10 bookings happen in the 30 days before departure.

“That’s a good brand to have when people say ‘I am going to wait a bit longer’.

“Broadly speaking, we have not seen a drop in volumes. We’ve been seeing more rebalancing.”
 

More: Lastminute.com sees 17K bookings affected by Iran war

Looking at trends across 2025, theTravel Horizons 2026 report – based on customer bookings from the UK, Italy, France, Germany and Spain – found continued growth in sales for shoulder seasons; more customers pairing low-cost flights with luxury hotels; and more trips based on major events such as concerts and football finals.

The shift to shoulder seasons means that September, October and November now account for a quarter of departures. Year on year, September grew 7%; October 12%; and November 23%, said Petazzi.

And in 2026, there was a 17% rise in January departures and February departures up 6% year on year.

He attributed the shift to the fact that many beach destinations are still warm in the autumn, alongside rising numbers of city break options, such as Gdansk, Krakow and Bucharest, driven by new airline services.

Allied to this trend is the increasing number of holidaymakers making the most of their budgets by flying on low-cost carriers and booking four-star hotels and more ancillaries, notably seat selection, priority boarding and transfers.

“We have seen people really trying to save money on the flight…especially within Europe, as they perceive it as kind of a commodity,” he said.

“People are saying, ‘If I can save 50 bucks on the flight, I can maybe get a room upgrade, or I can book a four-star hotel rather than a three-star one’.”

In 2025, 72% of four-star-plus hotel bookings were paired with low-cost carriers, a trend that is solidifying in the first months of 2026, said the report.