As the Balearics, in particular Mallorca, gears up for the World Travel Market in London next month, it may be rather concerned about the findings of On the Beach’s second annual Summer Sun Report, which looks at this year’s holiday trends. Since their launch 20 years ago, every year without fail the Canaries and Spain have been our most popular destinations.
But this year, for the first time, according to the On the Beach report, Turkey has toppled the Canaries and Spain to reach the number one spot. “It’s officially the King of summer and the number one holiday hotspot for Brits. This shift marks a momentous moment, when Turkey finally takes its place at the top table of beach package holiday destinations.
“It’s really interesting to see other destinations climb up the rankings too. Egypt has continued its fantastic growth and Morocco makes an appearance in the top ten for the very first time. These shifts are significant, it shows that the once ‘go to’ destinations of Tenerife, Lanzarote and Benidorm, although still incredibly popular, are being joined at the top by the likes of Antalya, Hurghada and Dalaman.
This year, we’ve also seen a huge change in the number of last minute holidays booked. We saw a real surge this year, most likely impacted by inflation, the cost-of-living crisis and people holding out to the last minute to see if they could get a great deal.” With an 18% increase in bookings, Turkey has moved up from being third in 2023’s list of top destinations, to number one.
Egypt rises another place this summer, with a 69% increase in bookings YOY and the UAE climbs from tenth to eighth with a 41% increase in bookings. There is also a new destination on the list. For the very first time, Morrocco makes the top ten list of destinations visited by Brits this summer coming in ninth with a huge 81% increase in bookings YOY.
Spain and the Balearics also continued their strong performance and despite tensions in the Canaries regarding tourists, Brits still holidayed there – not surprising given it’s been a family favourite for decades. Turkey also takes its second crown, the cheapest destination for 4 and 5 star holidays. The average price for a seven-night, all-inclusive jolly comes in at a very reasonable £520pp. Ones to watch this year have been Greece, which has dropped 18% in price on average and Spain which has dropped 13% on average. Even luxury long haul destinations are affordable, Mauritius, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Maldives all came in at great prices on average this year.