Portugal Holidays Are Searched For More Than Other Destinations

Portugal and Portuguese resorts top the list of holiday destinations being searched for by people looking to book a holiday online.

York, UK (PRWEB) June 29, 2006 -- Portugal and Portuguese resorts top the list of holiday destinations being searched for by people looking to book a holiday online.

Online travel agency, www.holidays-direct.co.uk (Holidays Dash Direct) analysed searches made by visitors to their site during May and were surprised find Portugal and The Algarve were searched for more often than other holiday destinations.

Spain has the most visitors from the UK each year and was the second most searched for country.

Paul Reeve of Holidays-Direct says: "Search terms are clearly not the most reliable way of estimating bookings - there's quite a difference.

We have found that people booking holidays in Spain, Turkey and particularly Greece are much more likely to come to the site from a general route and be influenced by a special offer when come into the site."

Paul continues: "You could generalise that the country they holiday in is of little importance, compared to value for money, or family-friendly resorts."

Portugal appeals to a wide range of holidaymakers, especially couples and families.

Many people booking holidays in Spain, Greece and Turkey conduct searches for "family holiday" or "cheap package holidays" reflecting the countries' reputations for good value resorts with facilities for families.

The top 10 holiday destinations searched for on www.holidays-direct.co.uk are:

Portugal

Mainland Spain

Balearic Islands

Canary Islands

Cyprus

Turkey

Bulgaria

Tunisia

Greece and the Greek Islands

Malta

Almost 50% of searches for the Balearic Islands were specifically for Ibiza and this proportion rose during May on the eve of the summer clubbing season. Bookings for Ibiza flights and hotels look set to be as high as previous years.

The most popular individual resort searched for was Albufeira in Portugal.

Searches for destinations accounted for approximately 10% of all searches by visitors to www.holidays-direct.co.uk

"Analysing search terms is very important and it's interesting to see the route people take towards booking their holidays. The overall majority of web bookings are made by customers who change their mind between starting their search and finally deciding where they want to go."

Holidays Dash Direct is a member of the Co-operative Travel Trading Group.

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