Responsible Travel has seen a ‘colossal rise’ in popularity of Eastern European destinations for the first half of this year, compared to 2016.
With exchange rates predicted to sting many tourists in traditional destinations this summer, the online travel company’s latest data suggests a growing trend for Eastern Europe, where holiday budgets stretch further.
Responsible Travel says searches for Armenia are up 143%; enquiries for Albania are up 110%; searches for Montenegro are up 71% while Croatia and Georgia have seen searches increase by 54%.
Responsible Travel CEO Justin Francis said countries and communities in Eastern Europe will benefit from this increase in tourism.
He said: "Our customers are showing unprecedented interest in Eastern European destinations where we know they get better value for money.
"Local people can benefit hugely from this growth in popularity if we as travellers make sure our money is going directly to the people that need it.
"Staying in local accommodation, eating in locally owned restaurants, shopping in local markets…these pump money into communities.
"So when tourism is done responsibly then we have a win-win situation for local people as well as visitors."
