Travel trend predictions for 2011
Whether it is using twitter to bag a bargain, recognising the
Caribbean could still represent good value or Turkey being touted as the
most popular short haul destination, a range of leading travel experts
forecast top travel trends for the year ahead.
Eastern Europe tipped as popular ski destination for those on a
budget "Tight holiday budgets will lead skiers and snowboarders to
leapfrog traditional favourites in the Alps for better value ski resorts
in Eastern Europe" said Gareth Williams who co-founded flight comparison
website Skyscanner to allow him to pursue his passion for skiing."
He said, "We've already seen a 130 per cent rise in searches to
Serbia for the winter season where the ski resort of Kopaonik offers
good intermediate skiing for less than a third of the price of the
French Alps."
CEO of directline-skiing.co.uk Maria Whiteman said, "Bulgaria has
been heralded by a few of our operators as the ski destination of 2011
with trendsetting Bansko, the premier resort, increasingly popular with
international party people. Known as 'Bulgaria's Whistler' recent
investment in the resort has provided it with world-class facilities."
"We also expect to see more people purchasing 'Ski Plus' packages
which is a fairly new all inclusive ski concept that includes passes and
equipment hire.
These are popular as they give better visibility on total holiday
spend."
Latin America set to be long haul favourite
Luke Errington of newly founded Patagonian adventure travel
specialist Swoop Travel predicts: "The Far East has been fashionable for
the last five years, but for many it has now been done and travellers
are looking for their next adventure.
We are expecting to see a paradigm shift in 2011 with Ecuador, Chile,
Argentina and Brazil all coming in to their own as the information and
resources supporting tourism improve.
I certainly wouldn't have started a new business in the region unless
it was expected to see significant uplift said Gareth Williams CEO of
flight comparison site Skyscanner our data shows that flight searches
for Chile have doubled over the last 12 months, while year on year
searches to Argentina have increased by a massive 167%.
We would expect the popularity of these destinations to continue well
into 2011.
Adventure travel growth predicted
Errington,continues "Adventure travel has been increasing in
popularity for the last couple of years, as people look for exciting
challenges to escape from an increasingly stressful day to day
environment.
Holiday makers are looking for new travel destinations, and off the
beaten track experiences.
Errington said A TUI report produced earlier this year cited that
adventure travel will continue to grow in popularity over the coming
years with travellers 190 per cent more likely to book an adventurous
trip, 303 per cent more likely to book an environmentally-friendly
holiday, and 145 per cent more likely to book a specialist holiday
during the next three years.
Turkey forecast as most popular short haul destination
Maria Whiteman CEO of directline holidays commented "Turkey is likely
to offer a good value for 2011.
Four and five star deals offer exceptionally good value for those
looking for the best value holiday outside of the Balearics, Spain and
the Canary Islands. We have increased our capacity in Turkey in
anticipation.
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