Travellers are turning to more exotic mid and long haul destinations for their one main holiday, rather than taking regular European short breaks.
According to Opodo’s list of ‘Up and Coming Destinations for 2009’, the biggest growth in bookings are for more adventurous, far flung destinations.
“We’re noticing a trend for our customers to invest their time and money into destinations that are a bit further away, but perhaps cheaper when they arrive,” said Opodo UK director Caroline Noble.
“It’s likely they are taking the strength of the euro as an opportunity to visit places in non-euro zones – destinations they might not have considered or have only dreamed of experiencing before.â€
Comparing flight bookings from January to August in 2008 to the same period in 2007, this is the list of destinations which saw the largest growth:
Lima, Peru (up 98%)
Amman, Jordan (up 79%)
Cairo, Egypt (up 76%)
Seoul, South Korea (up 67%)
Varna, Bulgaria (up 67%)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (up 60%)
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (up 44%)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (up 43%)
Hong Kong (up 38%)
Orlando, USA (up 37%)
Istanbul, Turkey (up 31%)
Berlin, Germany (up 20%)
“Lima was a surprise entry for us – but this can again be attributed to adventurous spirit and economy. Cheaper flight routes are now available – travellers can fly to America with one airline and onwards with another, rather than paying for a more expensive direct flight to South America,†said Noble.
“But where we are really noticing the increase is in bookings to mid-haul destinations, such as Jordan, Egypt, Bulgaria and Turkey. These places are exotic and it appears our customers are investing a little more time and creativity into their one main holiday.â€
By Bev Fearis
