The Express — Changing trends in British travel are seeing the nation increasingly looking for holiday destinations further afield.Countries such as Mexico, the United States, the Dominican Republic and Mauritius have shown a dramatic surge in popularity.
A third of travellers are planning to ditch traditionally popular European hotspots.
Popular European holiday destinations such as France and Greece are being shunned in favour of long-haul holiday destinations this year.
According to the research, France has almost halved in popularity as a holiday destination in the past year, with Turkey down by more than a third.
Popularity in Greece has also dropped by 16 per cent.The reasons for the dip in holidays are due to cheaper foreign exchange, European safety concerns, and a desire to experience other cultures, according to research and booking data from holiday provider Club Med.
Of the third of people looking to go further abroad this year, 47 per cent are looking to go a longer distance as a direct result of recent European events – including those in France and Brussels – with 53 per cent of people citing safety as their top concern when making their holiday plans.
Nearly three in five people confirmed that they research recent news surrounding a potential holiday destination before take-off and nearly one in 10 confess they have cancelled or changed a holiday in the past due to safety concerns.
This research follows huge dips in bookings to previously popular holiday spots such as Turkey and African holiday spot Tunisia.
- Safety concerns are not the only factors affecting our choice of holiday.
- Good value foreign currency and cost of flights were cited as key influences for Brits when choosing a holiday destination .
- A third of people now feel long haul is now better value than it was three years ago with 30 per cent believing flights have gone down in price in the same time period.
More than a third of the country’s travellers also feel long haul destinations are now more appealing than holidays in Europe, compared to two years ago.Estelle Giraudeau, Managing Director for Club Med UK & Scandinavia, commented: “While different countries have always gone up and down in popularity, the trend in recent months for British families to choose a long haul destination over a shorter trip to Europe is really evident.
A combination of global sporting events, cheaper long-haul travel, and geopolitical activity has led to many long haul resorts being booked up months in advance.”
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