Summer holiday demand shifts to autumn amid travel uncertainty

People are increasingly putting off their summer holidays and booking autumn breaks instead due to uncertainty over international travel, tour operators say.

Thomas Cook said autumn bookings were up 50% on normal levels, while luxury tour operator Kuoni said customers were "holding out for October half term". Greece and the Caribbean are among the most popular destinations. But some fear prices will rise due to fewer countries being open to tourism.

International travel is due to resume from 17 May under the government's roadmap to reopening, with plans for a "traffic-light" system categorising different countries.

However, the list of countries that Britons can travel to will not be known until nearer 17 May and will be subject to change. This has prompted a surge in autumn holiday bookings, with breaks in September and October accounting for 30% of Thomas Cook's live bookings for the year.