icelolly.com holiday searches ‘substantially up’ following Thomas Cook collapse
icelolly.com saw a substantial spike in searches on its deals and holiday comparison platform as holidaymakers looked to book a holiday or amend their travel plans after Thomas Cook ceased trading on Monday.
The deals and holiday comparison site, which offers experiences supplied by a range of travel companies, operates a pay-per-click and call-referral model that sees customers search on the site, then book their package, city break or hotel-only experiences directly with the holiday supplier, allowing for the business to have a representative view of market conditions.
The number of visitors to icelolly.com increased by 121% on Monday (23/09/19) versus the previous day. Individual searches rose by 142% to rank more than 40% higher than the next highest day in 2019. More than half of all searches converted (approx. 64%).
Within the EU, Spain remained icelolly customer’s main destination of interest with searches increasing 174% versus the previous day. However, Greece (206%) was the largest growth area within the EU while Portugal searches increased by 125%.
Although EU destinations remained the most popular, destinations further afield experienced substantial growth vs the previous day. Turkey increased by 408% (20% of all searches), with Tunisia and Egypt increasing 505% and 325% respectively. The America’s also rose up the search rankings, with Mexico increasing 258% and USA 140%. India, Gambia, Cuba and the Dominican Republic all saw growth of over 200%.
Winter 2019 searches increased 141% while summer 2020 searches increased by 98%.
With UK package holidays covered by ATOL, and those customers who have made a package booking with Thomas Cook guaranteed to be refunded, visitors to icelolly.com looking for alternative travel arrangements are able to search, sort and filter holiday deals featuring real time pricing and live availability from the majority of the UK’s largest holiday and cruise providers including TUI, Jet2holidays, On the Beach, Love Holidays and more.
All flight-inclusive packages on icelolly.com are ATOL protected, with non-flight package arrangements protected by ABTA, offering customers peace of mind throughout the booking process.
Like many others in our industry, we are extremely saddened by the news that the UK’s most iconic and longest-established travel brand has ceased operating. Our thoughts are with the customers and the many thousands of Thomas Cook employees in the UK and around the world affected by Monday’s events.”
“As a business, our priority right now is to help those looking to find alternative holidays following the cancellation of their Thomas Cook holidays.
“However, and as widely reported, icelolly has seen an increase in holiday prices after the world’s oldest travel company folded as demand outweighs supply, although operators have pledged to increase availability (flights, seats, accommodation, etc) to limit further cost impacts. Accordingly, we remain dedicated to meeting the needs of those future bookers who are concerned that prices may rise and are looking for the very best value deals in the market.
Ross Matthews
CMO, icelolly.com