- Holidaymakers Turn To Eastern Europe As Euro Prices Surge

Holidaymakers turn to eastern Europe as euro prices surge - Telegraph.co.uk

Holidaymakers turn to eastern Europe as euro prices surge Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Jul 18, 2008 Greece welcomes 2.2 million Britons – a million more than Turkey. Tunisia, despite its new found popularity, attracted just 270000 British holidaymakers in ...

Holidaymakers turn to eastern Europe as euro prices surge - Telegraph.co.uk

A year ago holidaymakers' money went 20 per cent further, with the exchange rate at €1.49. ABTA estimates that 1.32 million people will fly out of Britain this weekend from just the main airports. Article continuesadvertisementThose countries outside of the eurozone – but only slightly further in terms of flying time – such as in eastern Europe and north Africa have witnessed a surge in bookings, according to travel companies. Bob Atkinson at TravelSupermarket, the price comparison website, said: "There is a clear trend towards visiting more exotic locations, and doing something a bit more interesting or active on holiday. By its calculations, bookings for Egypt are up 28 per cent and Turkey are up 20 per cent. Downside, with rising oil prices, it now costs a fortune to get here. Greece welcomes 2.2 million Britons – a million more than Turkey. Holiday companies, anticipating the economic slowdown, have cut back capacity . However, the popularity of non-eurozone countries is no short-term blip, experts said. Meanwhile, bookings to Italy are down eight per cent, Spain is down four per cent, Greece is down eight per cent and France has dipped by two per cent. Most eurozone countries have never represented such poor value for British travel makers, with £1 buying just €1.26. Phil Davies, the editor of TravelMole, the travel industry website, said: "Given people are counting the pennies, the strong euro is having a significant impact on where people are going. Posted by Roy Thomson on July 19, 2008 12:43 PMPeople must have either forgotten or are ignoring the fact that they may well be targeted by muslim terrorists in Egypt, Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco etc.Report this comment3. Prices in Greece are 22 per cent more expensive than its neighbour Turkey when it comes to a basket of popular goods such as beer, sun cream and insect repellent, due to the strong euro and relatively weak Turkish Lira. Print this storyEmail this storyShare this storydel.icio.usDiggFacebookFarkGoogleNewsvineNowPublicRedditStumbleUponRSS FeedsRelated ContentHelicopter swarms spark St Tropez protestsCar boss Simon Saunders in Dorset beach hut rowMore on: Travel >COMMENTS - 31. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) pointed out that while Spain was "having a poor year" official figures show that it remains clearly the number one destination with more than 12 million Britons visiting the country every year. The cheapest deal for a week long trip to Croatia will set you back £414 per person, according to the travel website. The Co-Operative Travel Company describes the new trend as a "seismic shift". These figures are backed up by CheapFlights, which specialises in finding air plane tickets for independent travellers. This factor, combined with the fact that very few people have actually cut back on their holidays means that prices for last minute deals are high. Tunisia, despite its new found popularity, attracted just 270,000 British holidaymakers in 2006, the most recent year for which figures are available from the Office of National Statistics. While bookings to Barcelona have fallen by 16 per cent, tickets being bought to Dalaman, on the southwest coast of Turkey, have increased by 9 per cent. Why not visit Tunisia, Egypt or Croatia – once you are there the holiday will be significantly cheaper." Families that have not booked a holiday in the hope of catching a last minute deal to these cheaper destinations are set to be frustrated, however. With state schools breaking up, many families will spend this weekend packing their bags to go to Turkey, Croatia, Bulgaria, Tunisia and Egypt rather than Greece, Spain or France.

Overseas Property And Investment News - Bulgaria's Investment Potential Highlighted

Bulgaria's investment potential highlighted - Overseas Property and Investment News

Overseas Property and Investment News

Bulgaria's investment potential highlighted Overseas Property and Investment News, UK - Jul 14, 2008 Homes Overseas magazine said that even though interest in the country among Britons is falling, it remains one of the strongest-performing markets in Europe ...

Bulgaria's investment potential highlighted - Overseas Property and Investment News
The Global Property Guide revealed that last year, property values increased at a higher rate than in any other country. View News ArchivesMedia/Press Section Are you a Press or Media professional? We have access to a wide and varied collection of data and statistics which may be of interest to you.Journalists click hereSee Your News Here Submit your news feed for spidering by our news robot.

- The Holiday Home Is Going Places…

The holiday home is going places… - Telegraph.co.uk

Telegraph.co.uk

The holiday home is going places… Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - Jul 18, 2008 The survey of 1500 buyers shows that there has been a surge in purchases of resort properties priced from £70000 to £200000 in countries such as Bulgaria, ...

The holiday home is going places… - Telegraph.co.uk
A typical investment home, which was more likely to be an apartment, is worth £135,000. As with so much in the property world of 2008, it's a case of wait and see.Lifestyle case studyAndrew Hutchison is a typical lifestyle buyer. But this sector is worth a vast £58 billion, according to the Office for National Statistics - a rise of £5 billion in the past year - with the recent growth supported by heavy borrowing. Demographics show there are many more of these to come. Despite oil prices, air travel is predicted to grow, according to almost all government and industry experts, and airports in most emerging "city break" locations are enlarging, he says."Renting does not suffer during a downturn," he points out. Families, in particular, may desert hotels and save money by renting a home." The survey, conducted in the first quarter of 2008, shows that a typical "lifestyle" holiday home used solely or largely by its owners is valued at £220,000. He bought a three-bedroom apartment in the so-called Golf Valley of Andalusía, southern Spain, in 2003 with two simple objectives - "to enjoy the sun and to enjoy playing golf". He bought the property near Wenceslas Square in 2005 with his wife Daniela and son Chris. He wanted to be close to courses (there are three nearby) and in the centre of an established community. In Spain, the Costa del Sol remains the leading choice despite dramatic price falls over the past two years.How do we pay for homes overseas?In 2000 almost 80 per cent of Britons owned their overseas homes outright. It's got an occupancy rate of 55-60 per cent so we're very pleased with how it has gone." The current rental more than covers their mortgage and the Norths plan to sell the flat in four years' time. Most have buy-to-let mortgages - some more than 90 per cent of a property's purchase price - and are heavily reliant on rental income to cover monthly costs.Years of low-cost airline flights and easy mortgage availability have fuelled this trend. My family and friends now use it as and when they like, as do I. So is the foreign holiday-home market the next victim of the double whammy - rising oil prices and severe restrictions on borrowing?The survey's authors believe the market will change, but not collapse. The picture of who buys overseas, and why, has changed dramatically in the past few years: whereas we used to buy a holiday home, now many of us look for an investment. The typical home in this category is valued at £220,000."The second and faster-growing sector is for investors," Daly goes on. Then, they say, they may buy another property in another emerging location.Where do Britons buy?Some 71 per cent of buyers still choose Europe, with Spain and France out in front by a country mile. There are 425,000 British-owned homes overseas, including 35,000 that have been bought in the past year."Buyers fall into two distinct camps," says Savills researcher Jacqui Daly. There are vast numbers of over-50s and over-60s wanting homes overseas, often in traditional areas such as Spain. They are typical of a new breed of British buyer for whom income and potential capital appreciation are more important than sunshine. They have a lot of equity in UK homes, so most won't need to borrow at all." The survey also suggests that few existing owners will sell up in the light of dearer fuel prices. They want a lifestyle property in the sun. They'll see that a month's rental can, if timed well, pay for much of a year's running costs on a home." He believes that those investors with overseas city homes will not lose out. We've used the property a little ourselves but it's primarily an investment. You are here:Telegraph>Property>OverseasContact us | Forgotten your password?

Car Rentals - Easyjet Becomes Fastest Growing Discount Airline

EasyJet becomes fastest growing discount airline - Car Rentals

EasyJet becomes fastest growing discount airline Car Rentals, UK - Jul 18, 2008 After the UK, Spain remains the largest market for both easyJet and Ryanair, thanks to the large number Britons that still travel to this Mediterranean ...

EasyJet becomes fastest growing discount airline - Car Rentals
EasyJet becomes fastest growing discount airline@import url( http://news.carrentals.co.uk/wp-content/themes/cr/style.css ); Car Hire Search - Travel News Monday 21st of July 2008 EasyJet becomes fastest growing discount airline (No Ratings Yet)Loading ... EasyJet’s load factor exceeded 85 percent, while Ryanair was able to sell an average of 84 percent of places on its flights. EasyJet, however, gets to enjoy small monopolies in continental Europe, when it comes to low-cost travel. For example, in the absence of Ryanair flights, easyJet is the undisputed largest discount airline in Bulgaria, Greece, Estonia and Slovenia. Posted on: July 17th, 2008 by Dave Anderson EasyJet can now boast that it has become Europe’s fastest growing low-cost carrier, and also the one with the highest load factor, according to the most recent statistics. Registered office address: 1 The Square, Lightwater, Surrey, GU18 5SS. This advantage, however, is largely balanced by Ryanair’s own dominant position in Slovakia and Finland, where easyJet does not operate flights.  Yet Anna.aero, an internet-based news site, which focuses on the commercial airline industry, noted that these carriers still do best when they compete within the UK market, which continues to provide these carriers with the largest number of departures. Yet easyJet’s stiffest competitor is still Ryanair and the two have launched more flights over the course of a one year period than any other carrier in Europe.

The Press Association - Britons Blame Hotel For Sickness

Britons blame hotel for sickness - The Press Association

Britons blame hotel for sickness The Press Association - Jul 16, 2008 More than 70 British holidaymakers have complained of an outbreak of gastric illness at a hotel in Bulgaria. Irwin Mitchell Solicitors has reported the ...

Britons blame hotel for sickness - The Press Association

Seeking Alpha - Risk Of Serious Meltdown In Spanish Economy

Risk of Serious Meltdown in Spanish Economy - Seeking Alpha

Risk of Serious Meltdown in Spanish Economy Seeking Alpha, NY - Jul 18, 2008 "Hard Landing", on the other hand will be what they are currently experiencing over in the Baltics, what they may well soon experience in Romania, Bulgaria ...

Risk of Serious Meltdown in Spanish Economy - Seeking Alpha

Overseas Property And Investment News - Eastern Europe 'Offers Good Exchange Rates'

Eastern Europe 'offers good exchange rates' - Overseas Property and Investment News

Overseas Property and Investment News

Eastern Europe 'offers good exchange rates' Overseas Property and Investment News, UK - 9 hours ago ... already taking exchange rates into account when booking a trip, hence the growing appeal of places such as the Bulgarian capital Sofia among Britons. ...

Eastern Europe 'offers good exchange rates' - Overseas Property and Investment News
View News ArchivesMedia/Press Section Are you a Press or Media professional? We have access to a wide and varied collection of data and statistics which may be of interest to you.Journalists click hereSee Your News Here Submit your news feed for spidering by our news robot.

Press Gazette - Express Apology Over Slur On Estate Agent

Express apology over slur on estate agent - Press Gazette

Express apology over slur on estate agent Press Gazette, UK - 6 hours ago ... in Bulgaria, sued publishers Express Newspapers and journalist Nick Fagge over the 30 April 2007 Express article headlined ‘Nightmare for Britons buying ...

Express apology over slur on estate agent - Press Gazette

Property Week News - Britons May Lose Spanish Property

Britons may lose Spanish property - Property Week News

Britons may lose Spanish property Property Week News, UK - 11 hours ago ... Portugal and Bulgaria, filed for bankruptcy last week after failing to secure a refinancing package of £3.1bn. Britons who put down 30% deposits on ...

Britons may lose Spanish property - Property Week News
Sunday Times, The Times Be first to receive news with Property Week newsletters.