North Africa Poised for Growth as Operators Plan 2027 Capacity Shift
North Africa is gaining momentum as a key growth destination for 2027, with major UK operators signalling a shift in capacity away from an oversupplied Spain. Speaking at the Abta Travel Convention in Madeira this week, easyJet holidays chief executive Garry Wilson pointed to strong and growing demand for North African destinations, citing their value for money as a key driver. "When we look at demand next year, places like North Africa, we're seeing that continuing to grow in popularity," he said.
Tui UK & Ireland head of planning and pricing Amy Tidball echoed the sentiment, highlighting Egypt and Tunisia as standout performers. Tidball noted particularly strong demand for Egypt across late summer and forward bookings, while Tunisia's Djerba programme has already shown encouraging early results. Both operators indicated the shift would be a "capacity remix" rather than an outright reduction from Spain, which remains the UK's most visited overseas destination - with 36% of overseas holidaymakers visiting in the past 12 months, up from 32% the previous year.
Source: Travel Weekly