The 30 best and worst beach and resort package holiday providers for 2024 have been revealed in a new survey by Which?, with bespoke holiday firm Trailfinders taking the top spot and eDreams at the bottom of the table.
More than 12,000 customers ranked the companies based on six key criteria – customer service, standard of accommodation, how well the description matched the reality, organisation, transport to and from the accommodation and value for money. A customer score was calculated based on overall satisfaction and likeliness to recommend.
Trailfinders, Kuoni, Jet2 Holidays, Olympic Holidays and Beachcomber Tours were all awarded Which? Recommended Provider endorsements, after ‘gaining an unprecedented number of recommendations’.
Best-rated Trailfinders achieved ‘an impressive’ 87 per cent customer score, with five stars for both customer service and organisation. Which? explains: ‘Its holidays are all booked via direct contact with an advisor, whether in person, over the phone or via virtual consultations.’
One customer told Which?: ‘They really listened and organised the holiday we wanted, not the one they wanted to sell.’
The bespoke holiday firm also scored four stars for accommodation, how well the description matched the reality and transport to and from the accommodation. Which? says: ‘Almost uniquely, they keep customer money in a trust account until their return from holiday in case an airline or holiday provider goes bust, adding an extra layer of protection.’
Luxury holiday specialist Destination2.co.uk took second place in the ranking thanks to a customer score of 86 per cent. Those polled gave it five stars for customer service and four stars for quality of accommodation, how well the description matched the reality, organisation and value for money.
Which? explains: ‘Multiple holidaymakers expressed their desire to book with the firm a second time, with one saying “I had the best experience ever in the history of my travels”.’
However, in spite of these ratings, Which? explains that Destination2.co.uk ‘narrowly missed out on Which? Recommended Provider status as if costs rise, it reserves the right to add a surcharge to your holiday after you pay’.
The 30 best and worst beach and resort package holiday providers for 2024 have been revealed in a new survey by Which?, with bespoke holiday firm Trailfinders taking the top spot and eDreams at the bottom of the table
Best-rated Trailfinders achieved ‘an impressive’ 87 per cent customer score, with five stars for both customer service and organisation
![Which? says that 'holidaymaker [who booked with Kuoni] appreciated the personal touch'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/18/15/93279249-14206167-image-a-4_1734536177848.jpg)
Which? says that ‘holidaymaker [who booked with Kuoni] appreciated the personal touch’
Kuoni rounded off the top three with a customer score of 83 per cent, a five-star rating for customer service and organisation, four stars for accommodation, description matching reality and transport to and from the accommodation.
Which? says that ‘holidaymakers [who booked with Kuoni] appreciated the personal touch’ with one customer noting: ‘The accuracy of the brochure was spot on, [and] when we booked the holiday we were able to talk to a staff member that had visited the resort… nothing was too much trouble.’
Jet2Holidays, Olympic and Hays all tied in fourth position with a customer score of 82 per cent. They were followed by Beachcomber Tours (5th) with a customer score of 81 per cent. Hays was the only one of these companies not to be named as a Which? Recommended Provider in the beach and resorts category, due to a two-star rating for quality of accommodation.
Which? remarks that despite being ‘responsible for more than seven million packages every year’ as the UK’s largest holiday company, ‘Jet2 continues to deliver excellent customer experiences’.
Jet2Holidays scored four stars for customer service, how well the description matched the reality and organisation. One holidaymaker told Which?: ‘They are efficient, reliable and true to publication.’
At the other end of the scale, eDreams came last, with a customer score of 63 per cent, followed by Loveholidays and Club Med on 69 per cent.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘Holidaymakers should be able to rest easy knowing their travel company will deliver a great holiday and excellent customer service, and our Which? Recommended Providers do exactly that, meaning consumers can book with confidence.
‘All of our Which? Recommended Providers have also guaranteed that they won’t charge customers extra if costs rise after they book, meaning that travellers can have peace of mind that the advertised price is all they’ll pay.’
An eDreams spokesperson told Which? the company does not provide pre-packaged holidays and argued this makes the comparison irrelevant and misleading by nature. It disputed the methodology and sample sizes in the research and highlighted that it has asked the Market Research Society (MRS) to investigate a previous Which? report over sample sizes used. Which? said it stands by its research in that case and remarked that it’s assisting the MRS with its investigation.
Which? says that ‘Jet2 continues to deliver excellent customer experiences’ despite being the UK’s largest holiday company
EDreams came last with a customer score of 63 per cent. The company claims that the survey is ‘misleading’
