Britons living in Bulgaria. Guide to Bulgaria, Sofia and Varna

Final.com predicts 2009 to be a day for new destinations and ... - TravelBizMonitor

Final.com predicts 2009 to be a day for new destinations and ... - TravelBizMonitor The New Year will bring a host of opportunities and some great bargains for savvy shoppers. The online retailer is expecting to see interesting changes in consumers’ travel habits throughout 2009. Holidays are predicted to be the last luxury to go when things get tough and Britons will look at ways to cut corners and make their pounds go further. For short and mid-haul holidays, the online travel agent is expecting the non-euro zone destinations to continue their successful ascent. In 2008, Tunisia’s bookings increased by 71 per cent, Istanbul’s hotels rocketed up by 53 per cent, whilst Egypt and the Czech Republic were all amongst the top ten best selling destinations. In 2009, whilst the UK is expected to do very well, non-euro zone places are all expected to be very popular with holidaymakers too.Destinations where the pound is still strong, such as budget-friendly Bulgaria and South Africa, will also benefit from the economic downturn. The average length of a holiday will also be reduced to limit costs. The seven night packages are the ones most likely to sell out. During 2008, the retailer has already witnessed customers reducing their holidays by an average of two days. Hotels have also seen some changes in habits with a shift from five-star to three-star hotels in luxury destinations like Dubai. In 2009, big hotel groups such as the Hilton are opening their budget chains in Europe as four-star hotels are battling head to head with three star properties in prices. Consumers are increasingly price driven but do not want to cut down too much on the quality of a hotel. UK hotels was the success story of 2008 with Liverpool bookings up 100 per cent year on year, Scottish hotels up an average of 42 per cent and Northern Ireland up 48 per cent between 2008 and 2009. Our customers are determined to keep on holidaying but they will watch their pennies and make sure they do not break the bank when away.