THERE IS MORE RESEARCH pointing to renewed interest from British nationals keen on travelling to the Caribbean.
In the latest Travel Trends Report issued by global media commerce company Travelzoo, the Caribbean tied with Australia as the seven most popular destination in “the top ten destinations British tourists want to visit in 2016”.
The list was topped by the United States (32 per cent), followed by Italy (31 per cent), United Kingdom (30 per cent), Spain (25 per cent), France (18 per cent), Greece (16 per cent), Caribbean (15 per cent), Australia (15 per cent), Portugal (14 per cent), and Canada (12 per cent).
Travelzoo officials said their report was based on a survey of “5 000 active travellers in the UK, Germany, US, Canada, France, Spain, China and Australia”.
Travelzoo’s head of communications, Louise Hodges, said: “British travel habits are changing and 2016 is very much looking to be ‘the year of the US’, with record levels of interest in holidays to both the east and west coast.
“For the first time, America has overtaken European favourites such as Italy, France and Spain as the most desired holiday destination for British travellers. With four long haul destinations now in the top ten and airlines opening up new travel routes that take advantage of the lower cost of fuel, we expect to see long haul destinations continuing to grow in popularity in 2016.”
The survey showed that British travellers were likely to change their travel habits this year. The study also “confirmed that long haul travel is experiencing an unprecedented level of interest for next year”.
The report said the fact the Caribbean remained a popular holiday spot for Brits showed “an ongoing trend among Brits for long haul travel destinations”.
“It’s interesting to see the US knock European destinations off the top spot, but Europe is still looking very strong for next year. We can say with certainty that the agents we work alongside see Italy as one of the biggest and fastest growing destinations for UK tourists,” Hodges said.
She concluded: “With sale prices expected to be more competitive than ever, British holidaymakers should perhaps consider travelling further afield next year to take advantage of the steep price reductions we are seeing in the market.” (SC)
