Top holiday spots for 2003

Friday, 20 Dec, 2002 0

The people at Lunn Poly have been looking into their crystal balls this month, and have predicted which of their destinations will be hot spots next year. Predictably Spain is still up there, but there are some surprises.

Lunn Poly’s report claims that for many destinations, value for money will be their strongest asset, attracting tourists looking for a bargain. Among these it highlights Bulgaria, where it says holiday money will go far. “A pint of beer is just 50 pence and a meal out just £5” says the report.

Value for money can also be found in warmer climes, such as Turkey, where Lunn Poly says the Turkish lira fell by 30 percent last year. The report predicts a combination of this and a 32 percent increase in the number of holidays offered by Thomson, will make Turkey a viable alternative to Spain.

More exotic still is the Maldives, which Lunn Poly says will become more affordable next year due to the introduction in October 2003 of a charter flight with Britannia. It says this will cause prices to start from £769 for one week, down from around £959 estimated for a week in April.

Sporting events have always contributed to boosting visitor numbers, and Lunn Poly has outlined some of the major events. In South Africa the ICC Cricket World Cup is taking place between 13 February and 23 March. The combination of this and the collapse of the rand will boost visitor numbers for 2003, according to Lunn Poly, who says around 50,000 foreign fans will visit.

Another big event is the Rugby World Cup taking place in various locations over Australia between 10 October and 22 November. Lunn Poly estimates 40,000 fans will visit Australia during the competition.

The more unusual destinations predicted for success in 2003 by Lunn Poly include: Berlin benefitting from the release of the movie, Ripley’s Game, filmed in the city, and from the re-opening of the Brandenburg Gate; St Petersburg, it says, may be overwhelmed by visitors between 24 May and 1 June when it celebrates its 300th anniversary; Valencia in Spain, which could see more visitors after the opening of its oceanographic park in Spring 2003.

The report predicts Spain will continue to be popular, but secondary cities like Bilboa and Jerez could see more visitors as could the quieter coastline and National Parks of Costa de la Luz.