Sorry senor but Brits now prefer to Turk holidays in Turkiye than Spain.
Bizarre right? Well, no, it’s a Costa living thing and our friends at the crossroads of Europe and Asia have got the jump on everyone else there.
Leading online travel agency Superescapes.co.uk have boiled down the figures and found Turkey is our fave so far this year.
Now, every tourist country has its attractions and for Brits sunseekers well it’s the big yellow ball in the sky that’s at the top of our lists.
And to be fair, all of them on the top ten from Superescapes boasts a hot experience.
While, and it may be just us, but we’ve found a friendly welcome in each of the countries picked out.
With particularly fond memories of Bodrum.
Where our son Ally would be feted over by market stallholders on account of his name sounding the same as Turkish favourite Ali.
Price is right
But it’s on price that Turkey scores highest.
With Jason Waldron spokesperson for Superescapes.co.uk commenting: ‘Turkey offers exceptional value and its prime position in Southern Europe creates an incredibly appealing climate for those wishing to escape the dreary UK weather.
‘We’re finding, this year, whilst consumers won’t give up their annual break, they are more price conscious than ever before.
‘With prices for Turkey and Istanbul starting from as little as £129pp for three nights it’s not surprising that bookings are booming’.
Hot list
‘Spain remains popular at position two but that’s being driven by growth in the Balearic Islands, with both market share and booking volume on the rise.’
Corfu and Rhodes are also performing very well for Greece, according to Waldron.
Long-haul tourists continue to favour the United States and again ranks within the top 5 countries booked, surpassing traditional mainstream winter destinations.
With Las Vegas is the most popular US destination, accounting for over 30% of the total US bookings.
‘Las Vegas is hugely popular with Brits, with the tourism board stating Britain is one of its biggest feeder markets,’ he added.
“Sin City” is like an adult playground with a huge allure for those looking for fine dining, glitz, glam and a bit of fun.
The first XV
Among the areas that have shown remarkable growth in terms of booking volumes and market share are Morocco.
Particularly driven by Marrakech, Croatia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Our habits
Waldron goes on to discuss how Brits are booking their breaks post-Covid.
‘Prior to the pandemic, there were distinct booking peaks particularly in January and June,’ he said.
‘Since the outbreak of Covid, these significant trading periods have ceased to exist.’
And holidaymaker booking patterns have become less predictable.
‘For instance, we have observed strong bookings for holidays departing between March and June this year.
‘But our summer holiday bookings are down.
‘This could be attributed to fewer individuals taking summer breaks.’Or people holding off on booking their summer holiday until nearer the time.’
Book early
Historically, Brits would book their holidays 7 to 9 months in advance.
But Superescapes.co.uk has found that 38% of the sales so far this year have been late bookings.
Departing within two months of the booking being made.
Waldron advises travellers ‘Whilst Brits may be booking late in a bid to secure the best prices it’s generally better to book well in advance.’
As airline costs tend to be lower and there’s generally better choices available.’
All good advice… and here’s even better. Turk holidays in Turkiye.
