The early booking season, often the most important booking period of the year, is just around the corner. But when exactly do holidaymakers start booking, which periods are the most popular and are there differences per country? Nikki, Performance Manager at Booking Boosters, shares trends and figures from the benchmark* and gives tips to prepare for these important weeks.
*Trends and figures are based on averages. We notice differences per type of recreation company, in which brand awareness and repeat visits play a major role.
Christmas days: holiday plans in the making
Early bookings (3+ months between booking and arrival) increase in December, but the biggest peak is often seen after Christmas. During Christmas, families come together and holiday plans are discussed, leading to a rise in bookings in the weeks that follow. The last week of December and the entire month of January are the peak weeks for early bookings, after which they decline again from February onwards.
Popular holiday periods in 2025
Which periods are booked the most, then? The summer holidays account for the largest share of bookings, followed by public holidays and school holidays such as Easter, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, and the May holidays. Looking at the bookings already made for 2025, week 16 ( Easter ), week 29 ( summer holidays ), and week 22 ( Ascension Day ) stand out in particular.
Differences between the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium
Although the summer holidays in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium are the most popular (logically, as they also include the most weeks), there are other differences in preferences:
- The Netherlands: After the summer holidays, Dutch guests mainly book for the May holidays (often a week or longer), Ascension Day (Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday or Monday) and Pentecost (Friday to Monday or Tuesday).
- Germany: After the summer holidays, German guests mainly book for Fronleichnam (Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday), Pentecost (Friday to Tuesday) and the Osterferien (often a week).
- Belgium: After the summer holidays, Belgian guests mainly book for the Easter holidays (in 2025 this is from 7 to 21 April) and Ascension Day
Book Behavior: Families & Couples
Our benchmark shows that 55% of early bookers consist of groups with children , compared to 45% groups without children . During popular holiday periods, the share of families with children logically rises to 65%.
Book behaviour: camping pitches & holiday homes
Camping pitches are most popular during school holidays and public holidays (63%), with a peak in the summer holidays. Holiday homes are more similar: they are booked both outside school holidays and public holidays (53%) and during these popular periods (47%).
Noteworthy: longer stays of 7+ nights
While holidaymakers mainly book short periods during the rest of the year, they primarily book longer stays during the early booking season. More than half (51%) book a holiday of a week or longer , mainly during the summer holidays. This is followed by three nights (16%) and four nights (15%), which are booked for example during Ascension Day and Pentecost.
Get ready for the early booking season with these 5 tips
#1 Be flexible with arrival and departure days
Offer different options for arrival and departure days, especially during the holidays and school vacations. Give your guests the choice, so they don't drop out. Example: guests often search for a stay from Thursday to Sunday during Ascension Day, but also from Wednesday to Sunday, Wednesday to Monday, Thursday to Monday and Friday to Sunday.
In addition, we see that Monday is generally becoming more popular as an arrival day (+23%). Friday is still the most popular arrival day, but this share is decreasing.
#2 Take foreign holiday periods into account
Germany and Belgium have public holidays that we do not have in the Netherlands, or conversely, have longer holidays whereas in the Netherlands we only have one day off. Think of the German Fronleichnam , the German Osterferien , and the Belgian Easter holidays . Ensure that German and Belgian guests can also book their holidays flexibly. For example, at Easter, German guests often look for a full week from Friday to Friday.
#3 Continuously optimize your prices
Make sure your prices match the market demand and the supply at your park. Also compare your prices with those of competitors to not be too expensive or cheap. A price that is too low can cause you to fill up too quickly, while a price that is too high may send your guests to the neighbor.
#4 Optimize your website for early booking behavior
Make sure your website plays into the search and book behavior in the early booking season. Write or optimize your period pages, highlight popular periods on your homepage and place them as a 'highlighted period' in the search & book.
#5 Be visible on time with the right campaigns and budgets
Make sure your marketing messages are in line with early bookings by using the right text and images. Launch your early booking campaigns on time and increase budgets for maximum visibility, especially at the end of December and in January.
Source and more information: Early booking season about to start: Nikki shares the latest trends, figures, and 5 tips