UK Holidaymakers Will “Favour the METT Over the Med” by 2012

Thanks to the weak pound, British tourists are turning away from traditional Mediterranean holidays in favour of trips to increasingly-popular Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.

(PRWeb UK) July 30, 2010

A recent survey has found that more and more British holidaymakers are foregoing traditional Mediterranean holiday destinations in favour of the up-and-coming resort bloc known as the METT: a group of countries including Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.

Conducted by The Co-operative Travel, the study shows that over the past six months Mediterranean countries such as Greece and Italy have seen an 11.6 per cent drop in bookings, while the METT bloc has seen a corresponding 23.4 per cent rise, with sales of Turkey holidays seeing the highest standalone increase. Based on these trends, The Co-operative Travel believes that the METT could end up receiving 38% of all UK bookings by 2012, or 23.3 million out of a total 61.2 million projected holidays – supplanting the Mediterranean as the Brits’ favourite holiday destination.

“These trends represent a dramatic change in the landscape of the tourism industry,” says Luke Nathan of travel consultants Travelsoon.com. “There hasn’t been a sizable shift in booking patterns like this since the 1970s. Tour operators are rapidly building capacity and buying in more packages to cope with customer demand for cheap holidays in Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco.”

Trevor Davis, director of retail distribution at The Co-operative Travel, put the changes in customer demand down to “the growth of all-inclusive deals, which appeal to people wanting to fix the total cost of their holiday, has helped to increase demand for these fast-growing destinations. At the same time increased capacity and the high cost of the Euro have both contributed to a significant rise in bookings.”

Such factors have had the largest impact on holidays to Turkey, which have seen a 24 per cent price drop when compared to 2009 prices, which in turn has led to an upsurge of cheap Marmaris holiday sales.

“In addition to the economic factors, much of the shift is down to canny customers realising they can get similar holiday experiences at a fraction of the price by booking a METT holiday. Whether they had been looking at a beach holiday in the Algarve, a wine tour in Tuscany, or a clubbing holiday in Ibiza, the METT and its wide range of resorts can certainly compete.”

About Travelsoon.com:
Travelsoon.com is one of the leading travel consultancies in the country, specializing in tailor made and package holidays for our new and established client base. With offices in Romford, Essex, as well as Central London, Travelsoon works in conjunction with some of the leading tour operators to provide solutions for all manner of our client’s holiday requirements. Travelsoon’s commitment to consumer satisfaction means that our staff is mindful of the customer experience as a whole, and implements the most up to date technology and systems to ensure their needs are met and exceeded. Our consultants are dedicated to establishing and cultivating relationships with our partners as well as our customers to ensure their holiday stay is unforgettable. Praised for their innovation and creativity, the firm employs over 100 staff and our market share grows from strength to strength.

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