More than 1 mln Brits visit Turkey, expected to double in 2009

The falling value of the pound against the euro is forcing many British tourists to soak up the sunshine in Egypt and Turkey rather than Spain and Greece, according to a survey by the Foreign Office and the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), the Guardian reported on Saturday.

 

A survey byÂfound that the number of people ­booking a summer holiday in Egypt was up 38 percent and Turkey was up 32 percent, even as traditional holiday spots such as Spain remained "stable".

 

The number of people booking holidays to Turkey reached 2 million, while 1 million people bought packages to Egypt, according to ABTA. This is still well short of the 12 million people who go to Spain every year, but the numbers have been ­growing steadily, the survey showed.

 

An ABTA spokesman said the immediate cause has been the effect of the credit crunch on disposable incomes in the UK and the falling value of the pound against the euro, the Guardian added.

 

Spain is the most popular destination among the Brits with 12.03 million tourists visit every year, according to the Britain's Office for National Statistics.

 

France comes second with 7.5 million tourists, while Italy takes the third place with 2.5 million Brits. Turkey is the eighth popular destination with 1.2 million visitors from Britan.

 

COMPANY WARNS ON RISING PRICES

However a travel company warned the Britons of rising prices in the growingly popular destinations.

 

The Co-Operative Travel company said while prices for 2009 holiday have risen by an average of 18 percent, a typical family holiday to the leading Turkish destination of Dalaman had gone up 27 percent, the Daily Mail reported. The company said this compared with a rise of just 3% for an equivalent holiday in Majorca.

 

Holiday living costs have narrowed, too. The price of a typical shopping basket of holiday items bought in Turkey was £44.91 ($65.49) in 2007. However, this year the cost for the same items had risen to £63.19 ($92.15), compared to £64.41 ($93.93) in Spain.

 

"Turkey and Egypt have been popular in recent years as they are perceived to offer better value for money. But increased demand has resulted in higher prices and holidaymakers need to look more closely if they want a genuine bargain," Trevor Davies, head of retail distribution at Co-operative Travel, was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.