White Christmas experiences are moving back up the Kiwi bucketlists, with one operator reporting demand surging for festive trips to Europe and North America.
APT Travel Group ceo David Cox says the company recorded its best sales day of 2026 recently, and the fifth best in its history—and longhaul product to Europe and Canada is a big part of that. “Christmas and New Year departures are booking earlier than we’ve seen in past years, which tells us confidence is back and people aren’t waiting to lock in travel,” he says.
He attributes the strong Europe and Canada demand, especially for festive tours, to the number of Kiwis chasing that ‘magic’ feeling with fairy lights, real fire and snow.
“That’s what we’ve built into our Canada and Europe product,” he says. “On our 12 Days of Christmas tour through the Rockies, guests wake up to snow in Banff on Christmas morning, horse-drawn sleigh rides, an open fire in a Fairmont hotel; that snow globe moment.”
It’s the same on the 22-day Festive Christmas Markets with Magnificent Europe Cruise, which is trending down here, with Cox saying it offers mulled wine, twinkling stalls, ‘the whole atmosphere’.
. . . Festive Advice
With this festive trend showing no signs of slowing down, Cox has some advice for agents, and that is to lead with certainty, not just with the destination. “Guests booking a white Christmas want to know they’re getting snow, markets, atmosphere, guaranteed.”
He also urges agents to sell cruises with the angle of the journey being the experience, especially for the Christmas markets cruise where clients will wake up in a new city each morning. And finally, he says book early, with Christmas departures for 2027 already moving. See more on APT’s White Christmas experiences HERE.
