destinations. Europe is the adventure playground du jour for the likes of Tucan Travel, which has added two nine-day hiking tours to Bulgaria and Romania, and G Adventures, which is tipping Montenegro for the top with an eight-day sailing trip ex-Dubrovnik. Even Shearings Holidays, which skews towards an older audience, has brought in walking holidays to Switzerland and Austria for 2017, following Abta research that showed 6% of over-55s booked a sporting holiday. Across the pond, Grand American Adventures saw its active tour bookings rise by a whopping 27% this summer, with wildlife up 19% as well, driven by increased interest in the national parks and great outdoors.
w STAYING ON TRACK While some travellers are keen to put the effort in themselves, others are happier to sit back and let the train take the strain, if the growth in rail tours is anything to go by. Saga has seen such an
LEFT:
Austrian Tyrol
RIGHT:
Persepolis, Iran
increase in travel by train that it is launching a Greek rail tour for next year, alongside recent additions in Portugal, Italy and Canada. That’s good news for rail specialists too. Tim Fleming, sales and business development director at Diamond Rail Holidays, says: “Our programme of escorted
European holidays by rail has never been more popular. More people are realising the network of high-speed trains across Europe extends way beyond destinations served by Eurostar. “Without any hassle at all,
passengers can be whisked off to the Pyrenees, the Italian Lakes, Spanish Coast and beyond. Travelling by rail in Europe is easy and affordable and, for those who enjoy an escorted holiday, it is a fantastic alternative to travelling by coach too.” Steam is making a comeback
too, according to Maria Cook of Ffestiniog Travel. “Tram tours are proving very popular as they combine travel by several modes of transport, both modern and heritage,” she says. “Travelling by heritage transport, whether it be a steam train, tram or bus, is something we are developing more and more in our tours. Southern Sweden, Trams of Central Europe, and English Trams and Trolleybuses are all new examples of this.”
LEFT: The Canadian, Via Rail
50
travelweekly.co.uk 10 November 2016
w SINGLE FILE Escorted tours have always been popular with solo travellers, but it seems more people than ever are leaving friends and partners at home and ticking off their personal travel list by joining a group tour. Wendy Wu Tours has seen a
Travelling by heritage transport, whether that be by steam train, tram or bus, is proving very popular
13% increase in the number of 50-plus solo female travellers over the past three years, compared with an 8% increase among men the same age, and women are opting for longer and more adventurous tours to boot. Single travellers make up 18% of Wendy Wu’s customer base in the UK, and more than half of Intrepid Travel’s. The latter has seen a 38% growth in solo travellers over the past five years, proving individuals with an adventurous streak are increasingly keen to see their wish-list destinations, even if friends and family don’t feel the same. That’s reflected in bookings
by specialist operators such as Just You and Solos, which focus on solo travellers. All Leisure Holidays group sales director Colin Wilson says: “Solo travel continues to grow in popularity at an exponential rate. Just You has been taking solo travellers on holiday for more than 10 years,
PICTURES: FAILTE IRELAND; TUCAN TRAVEL; TREKAMERICA; JUST YOU; SHEARINGS; DIAMOND RAIL; INTREPID TRAVEL; SAGA
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