Brits hungry for beach holidays

[August 6th 2008]

Beach holidays specialist On The Beach has reported a big surge in Brits booking beach holidays abroad as the weather in the UK remains unsettled.

On The Beach says that bookings for beach holidays increased by 28% last weekend compared to the previous weekend as holidaymakers made the most of their July pay packets.

As sun-starved Brits look to get maximum value for money, areas outside the eurozone are proving particularly attractive. Turkey, currently enjoying temperatures in the mid 30s, was the most popular choice for people booking last weekend.

It seems the canny folk in the North East and North West are especially taken with Turkey, as 36% of them made bookings there. Egypt, where temperatures are in the high 30s, is also benefiting from bargain hunters put off by the high cost of the euro.

In London and the South East, 55% of all bookings were to Egypt, Turkey and the Canary Islands. Midlanders appear to still favour the perennial favourite Spain, with 42% of bookings to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. Spain is also most popular in Scotland, with 41% of bookings, followed by Turkey with 22%.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend for bookings here at On the Beach, with many consumers waiting for their July payday before booking their summer holiday,” says company CEO, Simon Cooper.

“Whilst the credit crunch is impacting millions of consumers across the country and spending on the high street hits a record low, many of our customers are not willing to give up their hard earned holidays but are of course looking for real value-for-money,” he adds.

Founded in 1995, On The Beach aims to provide value for money flights and hotels in the world’s most popular beach holiday destinations. It offers a choice of more than 30,000 hotels around the world and also provides a price match guarantee.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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