Hotel & Tourism SMARTreport #29

EUROPE OUTBOUND /
TRENDING DESTINATIONS
Hotel & Tourism
SMARTreport #29
2016 Spring Edition 35
© Rafael Golan
© Sri Lanka ‘One Island.Many Worlds’
TRENDING DESTINATIONS
FOR EUROPEANS
Thomson and First Choice forecast 2016 travel trends
While it is too difficult to generalise about “European”
likes and dislikes, given that each culture within Europe is
very unique, a new study published by leading UK holiday
companies Thomson and First Choice shows the trends at
least for British travellers… no doubt giving an indication
of broader trends.
Indeed, in 2016, British travellers will be breaking
traditional holidaying habits to go away more often – as
evidenced by the continuing popularity of three or four
night breaks to destinations such as Madeira, the Balearics
and Iceland. The travel giants expect the trend to fly
further afield to continue, as more Brits make the most
of their extended long-haul programme – with Costa Rica
and Sri Lanka set to top wish lists for 2016.
They predict the top five trends for 2016:
- Further growth of emerging destinations
- More people travelling long-haul
- Action packed holidays on the rise
- More flexibility on holiday dates
- Technology providing streamlined holiday experiences
Long-haul ‘hot spot’ predictions for 2016:
• Costa Rica, • Sri Lanka,
• Aruba, Cuba, • & Goa, India
Short and mid haul ‘hot spot’ predictions for 2016:
• Croatia, • Iceland,
• Santorini, • Ibiza
• Cyprus, • & Italy
GROWTH IN LONG
HAUL TRAVEL
Paradise is just a long-haul flight away, and more people
than ever are willing to travel further afield to find the
perfect holiday. More than three-quarters (77%*) of those
surveyed by Thomson would be happy to travel more than
nine hours for their dream destination. In addition, over
two-thirds (65%*) of people who have travelled on a
long-haul flight of more than seven hours believe a longhaul
trip ranks as their most-memorable.
The research supports a growing trend of long-haul
holidays, and is matched by Thomson and First Choice
extending their programme for 2016, following a 350%
increase in long-haul passengers over the past decade.
And with more than half of people (53%) prepared to fly
long-haul to experience a new culture, Thomson and First
Choice recently added non-stop flights to Costa Rica, to
existing destinations such as Cuba and Thailand – and will
offer Sri Lanka for winter 2016. [ By Gérard Lefebvre ]
Irazu Volcano,
Costa Rica
Sigiriya,
Sri Lanka