Opodo travel news
Brits going long-haul this summer
19 Feb 2009
British holidaymakers are showing a desire to get as far away from their home country as possible this year, according to research by Opodo.co.uk.
The travel provider's bookings for summer 2009 show that southern hemisphere destinations are proving particularly popular, compared to last year's trend of holidaymakers flocking to the US.
Melbourne, Australia appears to be one of the leading beneficiaries of the change, with a massive 400% year-on-year increase in bookings, followed by Singapore (219%) and Delhi (165%).
There has been a fall in interest in European city break hotspots such as Paris and Florence, while the long-haul destinations of Sydney, Johannesburg and Hong Kong have all seen higher bookings.
Caroline Noble, country director at Opodo UK, said: 'Bookings to Africa, Asia and the South Pacific have dramatically increased for summer 2009 whereas European cities are struggling.'
She added: 'We are also noticing that our customers are booking short-haul much later this year with the economic uncertainty, so we expect to see bookings increase as they book short holidays later in the year.'
South Africa could prove a popular destination with sports fans over the next 18 months as it hosts two major football tournaments – the Confederations Cup this year and the World Cup in 2010.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
The travel provider's bookings for summer 2009 show that southern hemisphere destinations are proving particularly popular, compared to last year's trend of holidaymakers flocking to the US.
Melbourne, Australia appears to be one of the leading beneficiaries of the change, with a massive 400% year-on-year increase in bookings, followed by Singapore (219%) and Delhi (165%).
There has been a fall in interest in European city break hotspots such as Paris and Florence, while the long-haul destinations of Sydney, Johannesburg and Hong Kong have all seen higher bookings.
Caroline Noble, country director at Opodo UK, said: 'Bookings to Africa, Asia and the South Pacific have dramatically increased for summer 2009 whereas European cities are struggling.'
She added: 'We are also noticing that our customers are booking short-haul much later this year with the economic uncertainty, so we expect to see bookings increase as they book short holidays later in the year.'
South Africa could prove a popular destination with sports fans over the next 18 months as it hosts two major football tournaments – the Confederations Cup this year and the World Cup in 2010.
Opodo cheap flights, hotels and car hire - let the journey begin!
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