British holidaymakers opt for Turkey in 2019

LONDON

Turkey has been one of the top destination for Britons for the summer of 2019 as holidaymakers turned their backs to EU destinations due to Brexit uncertainties, a top holiday agency said on Monday.

The number of Turkish package holidays sold to British people has rocketed 27% compared to last year, leaving Greece behind, a report by Thomas Cook said.

The Thomas Cook Holiday Report says the low value of the pound thanks to Brexit effects has resulted in 48% of all 2019 summer bookings to destinations outside the eurozone.

“Turkey has risen up the ranks to become Thomas Cook’s second most popular destination overall for Brits and a quarter of all Thomas Cook Airlines’ bookings are to this Eastern Med hotspot,” the report said.

It added: “Turkey has been rising back up the ranks of the destination league table for the last few years.

“In 2019 it reaches a new peak, with flight-only bookings to Turkey seeing a 27% uplift compared to last summer.

“At this point in 2018, Turkey was at the number three spot in the list of the most popular summer getaways so it has already leapfrogged Greece this year.

“Aside from its attractiveness for being outside the EU, Turkey is a 2019 tourism hotspot thanks to the great value for money offered by its five-star resorts.”

According to the report, Britons are turning their backs on the classic holiday destinations such as Italy and France but preferring Turkey instead.

Thomas Cook CEO Peter Fankhauser said Turkey breaks offered holidaymakers greater security.

"For those who have booked, it’s non-EU countries such as Turkey and Tunisia which are proving popular, along with all-inclusive deals as customers 'lock in' costs for food and drink for peace of mind," he said.

Holiday firm TUI also said the demand for Turkey holidays increased the number of flight seats this year.

TUI Airways said it will increase capacity to Antalya and Dalaman airports by 45,000 seats in the summer of 2020.

Antalya, a Mediterranean resort city in Turkish Riviera, has become one of the top spots for tourism in Turkey with its luxury hotels, golf courses, shopping centres and hundreds of historical sites, as well as miles-long sand beaches.

A spokesperson for TUI said Antalya and Dalaman of southwestern Mugla province are “set to impress with their coastal scenery and pristine beaches.”