More and more single people going on holiday for New Year's

There is a rise in single people choosing to go on vacation during the New Year’s holiday, according to research by VillaVibes. The travel organization has observed a 38 percent increase in singles going on holiday compared to previous years. The company specializes in putting together group package trips for single people.

“In recent years, we have seen a clear increase in bookings by singles for New Year’s Eve. Weekends and winter sports holidays are especially popular,” said Roy van Ammers, the owner of the Gelderland company. “The figures also show that singles are confronted with being single not only during holidays but also during weekends,” he wrote in a statement.

This year, New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday, with Monday being a national holiday. “It seems that singles increasingly prefer the company of like-minded people when traveling over spending holidays alone or with friends or family,” he added.

The company started offering singles holiday packages over 20 years ago. It now sees the new New Year’s trend both when traveling within the Netherlands and abroad.

Last month, payment processor PayPal also noted results from a survey suggesting that 53 percent of Dutch people were more open to skipping out on holiday traditions. Many of them also signalled more willingness to go on vacation or spend time with friends, instead of extended family visits.

“What is worrying is the fact that as many as 15% of young people report feeling lonely or isolated during the Christmas period, the highest percentage compared to other age groups,” PayPal wrote. The youngest generations are also more affected by inflation, which impacts their seasonal spending this year.