German Christmas markets have overtaken visits to Santa in the run up to this Christmas season, according to the Co-operative Travel.
The group says its research shows that trips to Lapland to see the man in red have fallen by a quarter (26%) whilst visits to German markets have gone up 25%.
Director of retail distribution at The Co-operative Travel Trevor Davis said: “German markets are giving travel companies a boost in festive sales as people look to kick start their Christmas shopping and soak up the atmosphere.
“It seems the popularity of these markets in the UK has encouraged a big increase in people heading to Germany to experience the real thing.
“As well as the millions of people who will visit the markets popping up in major cities up and down the UK, we’re seeing a 25% increase in the numbers of people heading to Germany to sample festive treats and pick up some early presents.”
The Cooperative Travel reports that shopping trips in general in the run up to Christmas are enjoying a surge in popularity. Retail trips to New York and Holland have seen a rise of 8% and 21% respectively.
The figures were based on bookings of 11,953 holidays between December 3 and 17 this year.
by Dinah Hatch
