Heading for some winter sun

WITH the winter chill predicted to last four months in the U.K. Brits will be heading abroad for some winter sun in their droves. Research conducted by beach holiday specialist On the Beach has revealed Spain as the most popular winter sun destination this year, with the Canary Islands and resorts across the mainland attracting more Brits than any other destination in Europe, with Turkey firmly back in the Top 5 winter sun destinations.

Top 10 most popular winter sun destinations:

1.   Canary Islands
2.   Mainland Spain
3.   Balearic Islands
4.   Turkey
5.   Algarve (Portugal)
6.   Greece
7.   Malta
8.   Morocco
9.   Egypt
10. Cyprus

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Time out for good behaviour

TO mark the launch of its new spring menu, research from Bella Italia has found that despite over half (60%) of Brits saying they see eating together frequently as an important way of keeping their family together, a fifth (21%) have admitted that restaurants are the only place their families have a conversation without distractions such as tablets, mobile phones and the TV.

The survey, which polled 2,000 UK adults, revealed families are on best behaviour when they eat out together, with Londoners most likely to say that this was the case. Indeed, 14% of us schedule a meal out as family time at the weekend with the same number using it as a treat for good behaviour.

However, despite the obvious benefits of dining out, it's money (45%) and time (31%) that were cited as the reasons we aren't going out with our nearest and dearest more often.

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Official recognition for Villa Air Bali

THE Australian-based hotel meta-search company HotelsCombined has started an extensive survey covering different types of accommodations within #Indonesia. The survey is based on gathering data from millions of guest reviews, and translating them to an official Recognition of Excellence.

 

Villa Air Bali boasts a high satisfaction rating among guests and travel industry experts, receiving 296 reviews for an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10 - Villa Air Boutique Resort & Spa is a privately owned boutique resort situated in the heart of Bali’s fashionable Seminyak area.

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Lost sleep

BETWEEN jet-lag, trip planning stressors and remembering to pack, it feels like vacations are always impacting our beauty rest. Mattress Advisor's latest study surveyed over 1,000 Americans about traveling sleep suffers and how they deal with it.

Here’s what they found:

• Flyers lose almost twice as much sleep as other travelers
• Those traveling by plane lose nearly 6 hours of sleep on week long trips
• Business travelers lose more than a full night’s sleep on week long trips
• Flyers take around 2 days to get sleep back in order after returning home

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August bank Holiday a boost to UK economy

RECENTLY published VisitEngland’s August Bank Holiday Trip Tracker survey shows that 6.9 million Brits are planning an overnight holiday trip in the UK this weekend, bringing an estimated £1.7 billion boost to the UK economy.

The figures show an increase on last year’s results when 5.1 million adults in Britain planned to take an overnight holiday trip in the UK during the August Bank Holiday weekend.

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Istanbul Among Top 10 List of Street Food Cities

VirtualTourist.com surveyed its members about their favorite street food experiences, and they rated #Istanbul as the 7th top city for its doner – lamb, chicken, or beef grilled on a vertical skewer and served in pita bread. There is also simit (ring-shaped bread topped with toasted sesame seeds, Lahmacun (sometimes called Turkish pizza, flatbread topped with minced vegetables and/or ground meat and bold spices,) and midye dolma (stuffed mussels.)

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Gardens continue to grow in popularity

GARDENS and zoos saw the most significant growth in visitors to attractions last year, according to VisitEngland’s Annual Attractions Survey published earlier this month.

The survey, which gathered information from more than 1,500 English attractions, found that historic houses and castles reported a 7% increase in visitor numbers, and country parks a 4% increase. Outdoor attractions performed particularly well, with gardens and zoos showing growth of 8%.

In line with VisitEngland’s Great Britain Tourism Survey results, coastal and rural attractions experienced strong growth of 4% and 5% respectively.

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Lower your voice . . .

AS Brits holidaying abroad, it’s true to say we have long-suffered a poor reputation amongst our European neighbours.

Whilst it is true that only a small percentage of individuals are responsible for the tarnished reputation of ‘Brits Abroad’, travel site momondo.co.uk has discovered that this status has perhaps even taken its toll on other Brits over the years, as many of us now shy away from other Brits when travelling overseas.

Surveying British attitudes, momondo discovered that for 32% of us, if we hear someone with a familiar British accent while travelling abroad, we will only talk to them if they initiate contact. Furthermore, 15% of us will simply smile but not initiate contact, and 6% of us will even go so far as to lower our voices, so the other person doesn’t know we are from the same country.

Additionally only 15% of Brits surveyed will start a conversation with a fellow British traveller when on holiday, and only 14% of us prefer it when there are many tourists of their own nationality at their chosen travel destination

Also 5% of Brits admitted to avoiding fellow compatriots abroad, as they prefer to talk to locals, while 3% of multi-lingual Brits will quickly switch to another language, so fellow Brits won’t know they are from the same country.

Finally 19% of us prefer it when there are many tourists of other nationalities at our destination.

Neil James Cartwright, spokesperson for momondo comments “We Brits have a fair way to go still, in terms of earning back a shining reputation of being perfect travel guests to other nations. Too often the small minority of drunk, trouble-making Brits hit the headlines, when we know the majority of British travellers are perfectly delightful.

“We urge all travellers to stay unprejudiced about all nationalities. Travel should be about learning and engaging, and this can only be done with an open mind. Our DNA journey campaign last year proved we have far more nations in our ancestral DNA than we usually imagine, which makes being tolerant and liberal when we travel even more imperative,” concludes Cartwright.

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Travel stats around Brits’ most wanted holiday

WITH summer soon approaching, April is the month where most people typically get their summer holiday plans in place.1030 Brits were among the 23,149 people momondo surveyed about their #travel habits. Below are insights into the most wanted #holiday among Brits.

• A partner or spouse is the preferred travel companion for 66% of Brits 
• 26% prefer to spend their money on travelling 
• 59% prefer to stay at a hotel when on holiday 
• Price is the determining factor for more than half of Brits when it comes to choosing a flight (50%) and a hotel (54%) 
• For 40% of Brits, the number of stars affects the choice of holiday accommodation to a great and very great extent 
• The average holiday length is 7 days 
• For UK breaks hotels are booked 22 days in advance, whereas hotels abroad are booked 35 days before arrival 
• 37% of Brits upload photos from their holiday to social media 
• For Brits, accommodation is the thing most people prefer to save money on in connection to the holiday (29%), whereas fewer are willing to save money on sightseeing and excursions (19%)

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Saturdays busiest booking day of January

THE first Saturday in the New Year is dubbed “Sunshine Saturday” in the UK. It is the busiest day of the year for holiday bookings in Europe. As a recent survey carried out by the world’s largest travel group TUI Group has shown, January has become the busiest month of the year across Europe for the tour operator, with huge spikes in bookings observed each Saturday in January. 

This year, the busiest day for holiday bookings in the UK was January 7 with more than 27,500 TUI customers in the UK booked their annual holiday. Mediterranean beach holidays remain one of the most popular holiday types among British tourists, some top destinations include the Balearics, Corfu and Rhodes. 

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Facts & Figures . . .

IN a survey this year of 1,000 Brits, the travel site Momondo found one in five Brits, at 20%, have tried taking a holiday to celebrate special days with their partners (e.g. wedding days or anniversaries) and 23% of Brits take a holiday for their birthday.

Brits also like to book holidays as a reward when they get a new job, at 5%, while 5% have tried taking a break when they quit a job they don’t like.

Similarly, 6% have experience taking a holiday when finishing a degree, diploma or certificate, and 6% book travel when passing an exam.

Holidays are often the result of unexpected circumstances it seems too, as momondo found 16% of Brits book one after a busy or stressful period and 11% of Brits book one after receiving unexpected income (e.g. inheritance or money prize).

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Brits post holiday blues rise

THE return back to school for most kids during the first week of September officially marks the end of summer.

A recent survey carried out by travel site momondo.co.uk found 61% of the people questioned experienced ’the holiday blues’, when returning from their travels compared to only 56% last year.

Spokesperson at momondo, Lasse Skole Hansen, states: “Taking a break is a huge source of happiness for most. The annual summer holiday is often the last luxury to be spared when household budgets are squeezed, due to its positive effects, both mentally and physically. Far from regular routines and enjoying new experiences, travellers feel happier on the whole. So in reverse, a return to the daily grind can have the opposite effect on morale.

“We’ve previously seen that Brits use planning a new holiday to beat their holiday blues, by dreaming about the next holiday they would like to take on their return. If Brits are looking for an autumn getaway, they do need to book now however, as tickets are generally cheapest 53 days in advance, according to our survey of 12.6 billion fares on momondo’s most searched routes.”

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UK tourism boom following Brexit vote

THE TOURISM ALLIANCE has released the results of a survey which show an increase in in-bound and domestic tourism bookings after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. 

The survey of more than 500 tourism businesses throughout the UK found that 18% of in-bound tourism businesses and 21% of domestic tourism businesses have experienced an increase in forward bookings since the referendum on June 23.

The results also revealed that almost 20% of domestic tourism businesses are looking to increase their current investment levels in the expectation of increasing domestic tourism numbers.

Bernard Donoghue, the Tourism Alliance chairman and director of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, welcomed the findings. ‘These result show the strength and responsiveness of the UK tourism industry and our ability to provide employment and growth for local economies throughout the UK,’ he said.

But he cautioned that ‘while the industry was expecting a short-term boom in both domestic and in-bound tourism over the next two years, the long-term prospects of the tourism industry are dependent on the UK securing a deal with the EU that will protect the ability of UK and EU residents to easily travel.’

He added: ‘We will also want to ensure that our industry, which is heavily dependent on workers from the EU, has the opportunity to recruit and attract the workers we need’.

To help achieve this, the Tourism Alliance will be presenting a draft Tourism Exit Strategy to culture secretary Karen Bradley. The document will identify the main tourism-related issues that will affect the UK tourism industry. It will also present the industry’s view on what actions the government should take in order to maximize the future potential and growth of the sector.


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‘Lost generation’ unaware of seaside options

A STUDY claims English coastal destinations could see ‘significant growth’ if they focused more on attracting the young adult market. 

The National Coastal Tourism Academy (NCTA) report Coastal England: Are young people a lost generation’? cites independent research involving 12 in-depth interviews and a survey of 1,500 young people aged between 18 and 35. 

• Respondents were unsure of types of coastal destinations or what they could do when they got there 
• Almost three-quarters regard it with a sense of nostalgia 
• One third said they could not think of anywhere appealing 
• Four in five said they would rather visit elsewhere

Samantha Richardson, NCTA director, said: ‘This research could help transform the way in which coastal destinations view and communicate with this age group and highlights significant opportunities for growth that appeals to this market.

‘The results demonstrate that under-35s need access to the right information on what there is to do, the wide range of accommodation on offer, the interesting food, cultural activities, and itineraries and events tailored to this age group. What has also emerged is the need to target specific sectors for 18 to 35s, treating those with and without children differently.

‘Longer-term, there are real opportunities focused on active and wellness holidays. With the right product development and a drive on awareness, coastal destinations could see significant growth in these markets.’

The NCTA is a Coastal Communities Fund project that analyses the nature of coastal tourism to help boost jobs and the coastal tourism economy.

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Good news for Greece!

UK online travel agency LoveHolidays surveyed people across Britain to find out whether their 2016 travel plans would be affected by the current very difficult economic climate in #Greece. 

The good news for Greek travel and tourism industries is that the majority of people surveyed stated they would not be affected by a financial crisis when travelling. More than 21% of the 45-59-year-olds surveyed said that they would travel to Greece specifically to help their economy.

• Fifty percent of travellers aged 60+ would travel independently to support local businesses. 
• More than 50% of respondents feel that if Greece leaves the European Union, it would have a positive impact on holiday prices. 
• Despite the economic situation, 66% of those surveyed see Greece as a safe holiday destination. 

The research also revealed that younger travellers are more tied to trusted travel brands than the older generation. Older travellers are more likely to go on holiday independently to support local businesses … an interesting finding, going against the popular belief that Millennials are more socially-conscious than older people.

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Picture Credit: Panoramic view of Oia, Santorini island (Thira) by Mstyslav Chernov - Self-photographed, http://mstyslav-chernov.com Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Germans enjoy holidays more than Brits, claims study

GERMANS are markedly more likely to enjoy their holidays than Britons, as well as being more healthy and active when going abroad, according to survey by Travel Supermarket.

The findings also reveal that British holidaymakers are now more likely to reserve a sunbed with a towel than Germans.

The survey of 2,000 British adults and more than a 1,000 Germans showed German tourists are 34% more likely to enjoy trips abroad than Brits. More than four out of five German tourists say they always enjoy their trips abroad, compared to 61 percent of Britons.

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US and Italy top Travelzoo's 'most-wanted' survey

LONG-HAUL travel and the #US are set for a big 2016, according to a study by travel deals firm Travelzoo. 

A survey of 5,000 active travellers in the UK, Germany, US, Canada, France, Spain, China, and Australia claims to have found ‘unprecedented’ interest in long-haul travel.

Travelzoo's Travel Trends survey put the US top for the first time on British travellers' wish list, with almost a third of respondents (32%) nominating it as the destination they most want to visit in 2016, narrowly beating #Italy (31%) into second place.

With 30% indicating they plan to stay in the UK next year, old favourite Spain was pushed into fourth place with 25%.

Despite November’s terrorist murders in Paris, France (18%) retained its top five place in the list of countries British holidaymakers most want to visit.

The Caribbean (15%), Australia (15%) and Canada (12%) also made the top 10, showing an on-going trend among Brits for longer-haul #travel destinations.

The high level of interest in the US and Western Europe is offset by dip in consumer confidence regarding holidays to some North African destinations. Some 80% of those surveyed said the events of 2015 had changed their travel plans next year, and a fifth (20%) said they will spend more time considering airline and travel routes due to concerns about safety and terrorism.

Louise Hodges, Travelzoo head of communications, said: ‘British travel habits are changing. For the first time, America has overtaken European favourites such as Italy, France, and Spain as the most desired holiday destination. We are also hearing from UK travel agents and airlines that Eilat in Israel is tipped for a resurgence of interest next year. New airlines routes are opening up and we’ve seen some incredible deals to this winter sun destination which looks set to gain UK interest as Sharm el-Sheikh continues to remain closed for business.’

According to booking trends seen by Travelzoo, US destinations attracting high interest for 2016 include Boston, New York, and other East Coast regions, while in Italy, hot spots include Ischia, Sardinia, Sicily, Sorrento, and Brindisi. 

Top 10 holiday choices for British tourists in 2016:

US
Italy
UK
Spain
France
Greece
Caribbean
Australia
Portugal
Canada

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UK ‘more welcoming’ to foreign tourists

THE PERCENTAGE of international visitors who said they felt extremely welcome in Britain has more than doubled in the last five years, according to a new report by national tourism agency VisitBritain.  

The ‘Britain’s welcome to overseas visitors’ report, based on a survey of more than 5,000 visitors as they left the UK, found that 42% said they felt extremely welcome, compared to 30% in 2012 and 19% in 2009.

Overall, 89% of visitors surveyed said they felt extremely or very welcome in Britain. Of those, 93% said they would also be extremely or very likely to recommend visiting Britain to family and friends. Danes and Canadians felt the most welcome, according to the survey, followed by visitors from Sweden, India, and the US.

VisitBritain’s report also noted that personal recommendations scored top in influencing or inspiring people where to go on holiday, and were considered more influential than travel brochures, special offers, or advertising. In some markets, including four of Britain’s top markets – the US, Canada, Spain, and Australia – it was given as the most important factor from a choice of 22.

The first nine months of 2015 have broken previous records for inbound tourism numbers, with more than 27 million visits to Britain from January to September, a 3% increase compared to the same period last year.

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La Manga Club voted among world's best tennis resorts

LA MANGA CLUB in Murcia, #Spain has enhanced its position as a firm favourite with players across the globe after being named among the world's top 75 tennis resorts in a poll of users of Tennis Resorts Online. 

The survey asked users to rate their favourite tennis resorts and training camps, taking into account more than 20 different aspects of a tennis holiday. #LaMangaClub was voted second best in Europe.

The accolade is a further endorsement of La Manga Club's tennis facilities, with the venue already the official overseas winter training base of Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association, as well as having extended its partnership this year with Tennis Europe for a further two years.

The resort was named as Spain's leading golf complex at the 2015 World Golf Awards for the second year running earlier this month, as well as being voted Best Golf Resort in Spain by UK readers of Today's Golfer magazine.

La Manga has 20 clay courts, four hard courts, and four on artificial grass.

www.lamangaclub.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49503155594@N01/382710059">Tennis Balls</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">(license)

Southend Airport tops Which? Poll; Stansted & Luton tie for bottom place

LONDON SOUTHEND airport has been named the best in Britain by a Which? Passenger survey. The airport topped the poll for the third year running with a customer score of 86%, a 1% increase on the score it achieved last year.

The airport also achieved five-star ratings in four of the seven categories assessed – queues at bag drop, queues at security, passport control, and baggage re-claim.

Stansted and Luton tied at the bottom of the list with a 40% customer score.

The results were compiled following a survey completed by 11,226 Which? members this summer. Those polled were asked about their experiences of flying from a UK airport in the past year and were quizzed on queues at check-in, bag drop, airport security, baggage reclaim, seating, food outlets, and passport control.
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