One-in-five people are optimistic they will be jetting off on a foreign holiday this year, according to a new study.
Research from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has found that 73% of people are planning a holiday either at home or abroad.
Just under one-quarter of people have already booked a holiday for the coming months.
The latest roadmap for reopening the country, due to be announced on Friday, is expected to include details on travel, hospitality and live events over the summer.
The CCPC is urging people to be careful when booking a holiday this year – noting that around 40% of people found themselves having to cancel plans last year.
Spokesperson Grainne Griffin said one-in-ten people lost money on cancelled bookings in 2020.
“While there is every reason to be optimistic about the planned reopening of Irish society over the coming months the reality is that, when it comes to holidays, there is going to be a level of COVID-19 uncertainty for some time to come,” she said.
“It is certainly essential that customers know their rights and that they check the cancellation policies before they make any kind of a payment.”
She had this advice for anyone making plans.
“If you book your accommodation and maybe your flights together with the one company that is called a package holiday and it gives you much stronger rights, particularly when it comes to things like your right to information and your right to cancel that holiday if something goes wrong,” she said.
“So, it is something to be aware of. You do need to know what laws apply and most importantly you do need to check the cancellation policy to find out what will happen if something goes wrong.”
The CCPC research found that people aged between 45 and 54 were most likely to already have holidays booked.
It found that just 20% of people prefer package holidays over DIY options where they book each part of the trip themselves.
The research was carried out on behalf of the CCPC by Ipsos MRBI among a sample of 1,000 adults in Ireland.
