More Brits opt for Turkey over Spain

British holidaymakers are now increasingly choosing Turkey instead of Spain when booking a break away, a study has suggested.

Researchers at The Co-operative Travel monitored 200,000 holiday and flight-only bookings and discovered sales of Turkish holidays were up by 30 per cent on figures posted for last year.
This was mirrored by a 13 per cent fall in people booking a break to former favourite destination Majorca in the Mediterranean Sea.

Historically Spain was the preferred destination for British holidaymakers seeking the sun.

It is believed that the higher cost of the euro and declining availability of Spanish holidays from operators is helping to motivate the changing trend though.

Researchers indicated that the average cost of a holiday in Turkey could be as much as £108 cheaper than a break in Majorca.

The favourite Turkish destination proved to be Dalaman in the Mugla Province due to its excellent positioning between the mountains and the sea.

Trevor Davis, Co-operative Travel's director of retail distribution, said that "bookings from people looking for cheap summer sun have traditionally ensured that Spain was the leading holiday destination".

"However, this year they are finding the high euro and a shortage of availability means the normal late deals aren't available."

"Turkey has benefited most from this trend and we're seeing 30 per cent growth in bookings for holidays across all parts of the country," he added.

Travel association ABTA praised the "spectacular growth" of holidays to Turkey but stressed that Spain was still the preferred destination among British holidaymakers.

Travel Counsellors News posted on 09 July 2008

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