Mediterranean
Western promise
Many old favourite destinations in the western Mediterranean are thriving this summer as holidaymakers steer away from Turkey and eastern regions – and there are plenty of new additions and refurbishments to tempt visitors
author: Rob Gill I t will come as no great surprise that the
big shift in bookings for Mediterranean holidays this summer has been away from the eastern Med – specifically Turkey – towards destinations seen as more of a “safe haven”, such as Spain, Italy and Portugal. Much like the overall leisure travel market
from the UK, the western Med has prospered from issues affecting Turkey, as well as from major beach destinations including Tunisia, following acts of terror, and Egypt’s Sharm el Sheikh, after the downing of a Russian aircraft. However, Turkey’s near neighbours Greece
and Cyprus do not seem to be suffering from a drop in upmarket tourists, despite the former still being in the news regularly for its involvement in the migrant crisis and the country’s lingering financial problems. Gabrielle Cowley, product executive, Europe
for sister brands ITC Luxury Travel and Western & Oriental, says that sales to the Med are up by 20% across both operators with Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece being the star performers. “We have seen a significant drop in enquiries to
Turkey in general, which has impacted bookings,” adds Cowley. “Greece is doing well – it’s one of our most popular European destinations and is up 30% year to date.” Greece, Italy and Spain have also been the
best-selling destinations for Carrier with bookings to Italy seeing the biggest growth, while sales to Portugal have doubled year-on- year and Spain has enjoyed a 35% rise.
DESTINATIONS SUMMER 2016
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