Tour operator The Adventure Company has seen a significant rise in bookings over the past two months - a positive indication that the travel industry is picking up again. Family holidays have been amongst the strongest performers, with bookings since the start of October up 79% on the same period last year. These figures represent bookings made in the two months following the new brochure launch each year.

“2009 has been a year of belt-tightening all round,” comments The Adventure Company’s managing director Claire Wilson. “Many families swapped overseas holidays for ‘staycations’ this year, but our figures show that people are ready to travel again in 2010 – perhaps because they now have greater job security. This is obviously good news for us, but more importantly, it benefits our customers since we can guarantee more departures during the key family holiday periods in 2010.”

The long-term outlook is bright, with bookings for July 2010 up an incredible 163% on last year. August bookings remains relatively stable, while September 2010 shows another positive growth of 63% for trips in the Worldwide Adventures brochure – the programme for adult travellers. The Adventure Company attributes these strong forward bookings to an increase in consumer confidence and some successful early booking offers being rolled out by the company. Early booking discounts of £50 per person are still being offered for the first 100 people to book on selected trips departing in 2010.

Winter getaways for the 2009/10 season are also selling well, with Egypt, Jordan, Bulgaria and Slovakia the most popular destinations for families, couples and solo travellers. The Feluccas and Pharaohs family trip to Egypt is the overall best-selling trip for this winter.

Positive results from The Adventure Company include:

• A rise of 27% in family holidays booked during October 2009, compared to October 2008
• A rise of 79% in family holidays booked during October and November 2009, compared to the same months in 2008
• A rise of 5% in passengers travelling in December 2009, compared to December 2008
• A rise of 163% in forward bookings for July 2010 since the new brochure launch, compared to the same period in 2008
• A rise of 63% in forward bookings for September 2010 since the new brochure launch, compared to the same period in 2008.