Red sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh is the most popular holiday destination this winter for UK holidaymakers.
Flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and hotels in the Red Sea resort for winter 2006 have been booked more often than other locations in the last six months, reports web travel agency www.holidays-direct.co.uk
The most popular winter sun holiday destinations are:
Sharm el-Sheikh
Portugal / the Algarve
Tunisia
Tenerife
Benidorm
Lanzarote
Holidaymakers are attracted to the Sharm el-Sheikh area because of the perfect winter climate and high quality of the resort hotels.
The Red Sea is very popular for family holidays as well as being one of the best-regarded diving locations in the world.
Jon Pearce of www.holidays-direct.co.uk says: “Holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh offer great value for money for families who want to stay somewhere warm and exotic, but not break the bank.”
“There are more cheap deals to Egypt on offer than in previous years and it’s a relatively short flight to Sharm from the UK airports, making it popular for people travelling with young children.”
“Most of the hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh are well-equipped, self-contained resorts, which is especially reassuring to holidaymakers who are concerned about safety and ways to keep children entertained while on holiday.”
Portugal has long been a popular winter sun holiday choice, especially for couples looking for relaxing breaks.
Tunisia is also benefiting from the extra availability of no-frills flights to north Africa. Like Egypt, visitors to Tunisia can enjoy an exotic holiday at great value for money.
Of all countries with strong tourism links to the UK, Tenerife and Lanzarote have two of the best winter climates. A wide choice of self-catering and all-inclusive packages in the Canaries is on offer. Both Lanzarote and Tenerife can be flown to from airports across the UK.
Benidorm perhaps offers the most sensational value for holidaymakers this winter, with cheap flights to the Costa Blanca consistently at low prices.
Tallinn is the runaway top choice for hen and stag weekends in Europe.
www.holidays-direct.co.uk is an online travel agency and web resource for people researching and booking flights and hotels in all the most popular locations around the world.
www.holidays-direct.co.uk is a member of the Midlands Co-operative Society.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Ski Experts Launch New Skiing Holiday Website
New ski site uses expert knowledge to provide customers with the best possible service.
A new online ski holiday information resource has been launched by a team of travel specialists who have over 100 years combined experience of skiing and selling ski holidays.
Ski holiday specialists at Midlands Co-op Travel have launched www.ski-direct.co.uk which offers winter sports fans helpful hints and tips, as well as flight and hotel bargains.
David Tonks of Ski-Direct is one of the enthusiastic skiers behind the idea to produce a website specialising in ski holidays. He says: "We know, because we are skiers, that using general travel websites can be a frustrating experience when booking a ski holiday.
"On many holiday websites the ski resorts are in the same list as all other resorts, making it harder to find the information you want and there is a distinct lack of useful information about the natures of the slopes and resort facilities."
The new www.ski-direct.co.uk website is designed to be a user-friendly handy research tool for holidaymakers booking a ski holiday - from beginners to experienced skiers.
David says: "Over the years working in the travel industry and going skiing, the team has seen many changes in the sorts of ski holidays customers prefer. For example, in the last ten years or so snowboarding has become hugely popular, especially among younger people."
The other big trend is the increase in families taking young children with them when they ski.
Studies show the average age of the first time skier is dropping every year as more and more under-10s ski with their parents. Ski-Direct offers advice to people booking family holidays, such as where to find family-friendly ski resorts and how to choose the best ski family holiday package.
Ski-Direct also has a guide for people booking group ski holidays.
David says: "For many people going on a ski holiday is more of a social than sporting activity and we want to do all we can to help our customers, many of whom come back to us time and again, to book group holidays - often for groups of twenty people."
There are guides to all the resorts on offer, across Europe and north America, giving details about the difficulty levels of the ski runs and the facilities within the resorts.
Users can also search by departure point, to check which resorts are catered for by their nearest airport.
People who have already booked their ski holiday can keep an eye on the weather where they are going by checking out the www.ski-direct.co.uk Snow Reports.
Ski-Direct is a member of the Co-operative Travel Trading Group.
A new online ski holiday information resource has been launched by a team of travel specialists who have over 100 years combined experience of skiing and selling ski holidays.
Ski holiday specialists at Midlands Co-op Travel have launched www.ski-direct.co.uk which offers winter sports fans helpful hints and tips, as well as flight and hotel bargains.
David Tonks of Ski-Direct is one of the enthusiastic skiers behind the idea to produce a website specialising in ski holidays. He says: "We know, because we are skiers, that using general travel websites can be a frustrating experience when booking a ski holiday.
"On many holiday websites the ski resorts are in the same list as all other resorts, making it harder to find the information you want and there is a distinct lack of useful information about the natures of the slopes and resort facilities."
The new www.ski-direct.co.uk website is designed to be a user-friendly handy research tool for holidaymakers booking a ski holiday - from beginners to experienced skiers.
David says: "Over the years working in the travel industry and going skiing, the team has seen many changes in the sorts of ski holidays customers prefer. For example, in the last ten years or so snowboarding has become hugely popular, especially among younger people."
The other big trend is the increase in families taking young children with them when they ski.
Studies show the average age of the first time skier is dropping every year as more and more under-10s ski with their parents. Ski-Direct offers advice to people booking family holidays, such as where to find family-friendly ski resorts and how to choose the best ski family holiday package.
Ski-Direct also has a guide for people booking group ski holidays.
David says: "For many people going on a ski holiday is more of a social than sporting activity and we want to do all we can to help our customers, many of whom come back to us time and again, to book group holidays - often for groups of twenty people."
There are guides to all the resorts on offer, across Europe and north America, giving details about the difficulty levels of the ski runs and the facilities within the resorts.
Users can also search by departure point, to check which resorts are catered for by their nearest airport.
People who have already booked their ski holiday can keep an eye on the weather where they are going by checking out the www.ski-direct.co.uk Snow Reports.
Ski-Direct is a member of the Co-operative Travel Trading Group.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Fantastic value for Florence city breaks
There's a great deal on short breaks in Florence - prices for the flight and hotel package, including breakfast, start at only £89, flying to Pisa Airport.
Holidays-Direct have reported that this deal has been a huge success
Holidays-Direct have reported that this deal has been a huge success
Monday, August 21, 2006
Pirates of the Caribbean is best ride at Disneyland Resort Paris, say UK holidaymakers
Holidaymakers who booked family holidays at Disneyland Resort Paris with online travel agency www.sundeal.co.uk have been surveyed about their favourite rides at the resort - and they say the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is the best.
The most popular rides at Disneyland Resort Paris as voted for by customers of online travel agency www.sundeal.co.uk are:
1 Pirates of the Caribbean
2 Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
3 Haunted Mansion
4 Big Thunder Mountain
5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
www.sundeal.co.uk specialises in family holidays at EuroDisney, offering thousands of customers each year great deals on hotels and travel by Eurostar, air and coach.
The most popular rides at Disneyland Resort Paris as voted for by customers of online travel agency www.sundeal.co.uk are:
1 Pirates of the Caribbean
2 Buzz Lightyear Laser Blast
3 Haunted Mansion
4 Big Thunder Mountain
5 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril
www.sundeal.co.uk specialises in family holidays at EuroDisney, offering thousands of customers each year great deals on hotels and travel by Eurostar, air and coach.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Holidaymakers booking online show their confidence in travelling by air, despite 'bomb plot' arrests
Travel agency, www.freedomdirect.co.uk has seen record bookings made in the first 12 hours since news broke about the police operation that successfully prevented a plot to detonate bombs, hidden in hand luggage, on planes travelling from the UK to America.
Nick Jackson, Commercial and Marketing Director for Freedom Direct says: "We had fully expected a drop in bookings, as that has been the usual pattern on days such as this, like September 11th, when there is bad news about the safety of travelling by air. We certainly didn't expect to record our highest number of bookings in one day, in the aftermath of such news."
"We can only assume that customers who book on the web are a resilient lot."
"We think this demonstrates a great level of confidence in travellers that the airports and police are continuing to do a great job, enabling people to travel abroad safely. Customers seem sure that 'normal service will resume' quickly, in time for them to travel."
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Bansko, Bulgaria ski holiday bookings hit new heights
Ski holiday bookings have had a boost in the ski resort of Bansko, as more and more holidaymakers are heading for the snowy slopes of Bulgaria for the 2006 –2007 ski season.
Bookings for the winter ski holiday season have just begun in earnest and Bansko is already looking to be one of the most popular European ski resorts. www.ski-direct.co.uk have seen bookings for Bulgaria ski holidays grow 5 years in a row. This is down to the annual developments of ski and après ski facilities.
Paul Reeve, Sales and Marketing Manager for Ski-Direct believes the appeal is mainly due to the wide availability of cheap package ski holidays in Bulgaria, combined with the increased investment by the Bulgarian tourist authorities in Bulgarian ski resorts as they bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Paul says: “Bulgaria has built up a great reputation as a low-cost holiday choice over the last few years. Bansko has great slopes, particularly for beginner skiers and for snowboarders and we’re seeing a word-of-mouth effect boosting the number of holidaymakers picking Bansko ski holidays.”
Bookings for the winter ski holiday season have just begun in earnest and Bansko is already looking to be one of the most popular European ski resorts. www.ski-direct.co.uk have seen bookings for Bulgaria ski holidays grow 5 years in a row. This is down to the annual developments of ski and après ski facilities.
Paul Reeve, Sales and Marketing Manager for Ski-Direct believes the appeal is mainly due to the wide availability of cheap package ski holidays in Bulgaria, combined with the increased investment by the Bulgarian tourist authorities in Bulgarian ski resorts as they bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Paul says: “Bulgaria has built up a great reputation as a low-cost holiday choice over the last few years. Bansko has great slopes, particularly for beginner skiers and for snowboarders and we’re seeing a word-of-mouth effect boosting the number of holidaymakers picking Bansko ski holidays.”
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Travel agencies are real winners in Portugal holiday boom
British holidaymakers don't appear to be holding a grudge against Portugal for knocking England out of the World Cup - since England's exit there has been a surge in bookings of Portugal holidays.
A survey of holiday bookings by online travel agency, www.freedomdirect.co.uk has revealed that the Algarve is now the third most popular summer holiday destination among their customers - rising from sixth place in June.
The surge in bookings for holidays in the Algarve began on the same day that England lost to Portugal on penalties after extra time.
Nick Jackson, Commercial and Marketing Director of www.freedomdirect.co.uk says: "It's good to see that people aren't put off going on holiday to Portugal just because Ronaldo winked in a dubious way and it's great (if surprising) to see such an increase. It would be interesting to see if Portuguese visitor numbers to the UK have dropped because Wayne Rooney 'accidentally' put his foot down in the wrong place!"
Nick attributes the popularity of holidays in Portugal to the wide variety of affordable hotels in the Algarve and the high quality of the Algarve's resorts. Because of the variety of places to stay, Portugal appeals to a wide range of holidaymakers.
A survey of holiday bookings by online travel agency, www.freedomdirect.co.uk has revealed that the Algarve is now the third most popular summer holiday destination among their customers - rising from sixth place in June.
The surge in bookings for holidays in the Algarve began on the same day that England lost to Portugal on penalties after extra time.
Nick Jackson, Commercial and Marketing Director of www.freedomdirect.co.uk says: "It's good to see that people aren't put off going on holiday to Portugal just because Ronaldo winked in a dubious way and it's great (if surprising) to see such an increase. It would be interesting to see if Portuguese visitor numbers to the UK have dropped because Wayne Rooney 'accidentally' put his foot down in the wrong place!"
Nick attributes the popularity of holidays in Portugal to the wide variety of affordable hotels in the Algarve and the high quality of the Algarve's resorts. Because of the variety of places to stay, Portugal appeals to a wide range of holidaymakers.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Second homes boost Cypus holidays
Visitor numbers to Cyprus have remained at a steady level, despite an overall drop in sales of holidays in Cyprus from around the world and one of the main reasons is thought to be the boom in sales of second homes in the country.
Over 50% of visitors to Cyprus each year come from the UK, attracted by the cheap holidays in Ayia Napa and other popular resorts. There has been a rise in visitors to Cyprus from the UK in 2006.
Online travel agency, www.freedomdirect.co.uk has identified an increase in flight-only bookings for Cyprus this season. This supports the theory that larger numbers of people, especially families, are travelling to Cyprus to stay in second homes.
Over 50% of visitors to Cyprus each year come from the UK, attracted by the cheap holidays in Ayia Napa and other popular resorts. There has been a rise in visitors to Cyprus from the UK in 2006.
Online travel agency, www.freedomdirect.co.uk has identified an increase in flight-only bookings for Cyprus this season. This supports the theory that larger numbers of people, especially families, are travelling to Cyprus to stay in second homes.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Portugal Holidays Are Searched For More Than Other Destinations
Portugal and Portuguese resorts top the list of holiday destinations being searched for by people looking to book a holiday online.
Online travel agency, www.holidays-direct.co.uk (Holidays Dash Direct) analysed searches made by visitors to their site during May and were surprised find Portugal and The Algarve were searched for more often than other holiday destinations.
Spain has the most visitors from the UK each year and was the second most searched for country.
Many people booking holidays in Spain, Greece and Turkey conduct searches for "family holiday" or "cheap package holidays" reflecting the countries' reputations for good value resorts with facilities for families.
Online travel agency, www.holidays-direct.co.uk (Holidays Dash Direct) analysed searches made by visitors to their site during May and were surprised find Portugal and The Algarve were searched for more often than other holiday destinations.
Spain has the most visitors from the UK each year and was the second most searched for country.
Many people booking holidays in Spain, Greece and Turkey conduct searches for "family holiday" or "cheap package holidays" reflecting the countries' reputations for good value resorts with facilities for families.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Rome Is The Top European Choice For UK City Break Travellers
Rome is Europe’s most popular city break destination according to users of online travel agency www.citybreaks-direct.co.uk
The extensive television coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II last year is credited as one reason for Rome’s renewed popularity ahead of other city break destinations.
"We have been monitoring the search terms customers use when they visit the site, as well as the actual bookings and Rome is the European city that heads the list.” Says Paul Reeve of Citybreaks-Direct.
Demand for Roman holidays is higher than for Amsterdam, Dublin and Prague - previously the top choices. Venice was the most popular Italian city for Citybreaks-direct customers in 2005.
This upsurge of interest is welcome news for the Italian capital. Over eight million Euros was spent by the Roman authorities to enable the city to cope with the unexpected extra visitors and concern was raised that the city had been left “in the red”.
Find out more
The extensive television coverage of the funeral of Pope John Paul II last year is credited as one reason for Rome’s renewed popularity ahead of other city break destinations.
"We have been monitoring the search terms customers use when they visit the site, as well as the actual bookings and Rome is the European city that heads the list.” Says Paul Reeve of Citybreaks-Direct.
Demand for Roman holidays is higher than for Amsterdam, Dublin and Prague - previously the top choices. Venice was the most popular Italian city for Citybreaks-direct customers in 2005.
This upsurge of interest is welcome news for the Italian capital. Over eight million Euros was spent by the Roman authorities to enable the city to cope with the unexpected extra visitors and concern was raised that the city had been left “in the red”.
Find out more
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Da Vinci Code Film Inspiring City Breakers to Pick Paris
The intense publicity for “The Da Vinci Code” film is helping Paris regain its position as number one European city break choice for UK travellers.
Paris has historically been the most visited European city, but the introduction of new routes to cities such as Rome, Prague and Barcelona from airports all around the UK led to a drop in visitors to the French capital.
However, www.citybreaks-direct.co.uk (Citybreaks Dash Direct) have seen a steady rise in bookings for Paris since hype for the film gathered pace at the start of this year. It is thought that clues to “The Da Vinci Code” hidden in the architecture of Paris are inspiring large number of British holidaymakers to choose Paris.
Paul Reeve of Citybreaks-Direct says: “Paris has been the number one European citybreak choice for as long as I can remember, but over the last couple of years it has been overtaken by Prague, followed closely by Dublin, Rome & Barcelona.”
“We have been monitoring booking and the searches entered by visitors to our site and in the last few months searches for Paris have reached their highest levels for some time – this coincides with hype about the film release intensifying.”
Paris has historically been the most visited European city, but the introduction of new routes to cities such as Rome, Prague and Barcelona from airports all around the UK led to a drop in visitors to the French capital.
However, www.citybreaks-direct.co.uk (Citybreaks Dash Direct) have seen a steady rise in bookings for Paris since hype for the film gathered pace at the start of this year. It is thought that clues to “The Da Vinci Code” hidden in the architecture of Paris are inspiring large number of British holidaymakers to choose Paris.
Paul Reeve of Citybreaks-Direct says: “Paris has been the number one European citybreak choice for as long as I can remember, but over the last couple of years it has been overtaken by Prague, followed closely by Dublin, Rome & Barcelona.”
“We have been monitoring booking and the searches entered by visitors to our site and in the last few months searches for Paris have reached their highest levels for some time – this coincides with hype about the film release intensifying.”
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Online booking empowers business travellers
The growth in the online travel market is encouraging staff to organise their own business travel, rather than have to turn to a PA for assistance.
Research by Visa Europe found that over 50% of employees are now organising their own travel and 48% of companies said that more staff are involved in purchasing travel services than previously.
Over two thirds of companies said they favour online travel booking as it is easier to shop around for the best deals and save money in the process.
Research by Visa Europe found that over 50% of employees are now organising their own travel and 48% of companies said that more staff are involved in purchasing travel services than previously.
Over two thirds of companies said they favour online travel booking as it is easier to shop around for the best deals and save money in the process.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Spain Set To Be Top Summer Sun Location
An early of analysis of bookings and web searches by online travel specialists Holidays-Direct, shows that Spain has regained its crown as the top European summer sun destination for UK travellers, ahead of Turkey.
Holiday deals for Mainland Spain are getting the biggest hits on http://www.holidays-direct.co.uk and bookings are up on 2005 aleady.
Paul Reeve of Holidays-Direct says: “On assessing confirmed bookings we see Spain is the destination of choice, ahead of other countries.
“The phrases that visitors to our site are searching for also point to Spain being the top country as it features in a huge number of searches.
“When people search for Spain it is usually alongside other phrases, such as “sun deal” or “bargain holiday” .
“Spain is definitely established in the consumers’ minds as a value-for-money destination for families where you’re guaranteed to get good weather.”
Holidays-Direct offer deals for a wide variety of Spanish resorts including, Fuengirola, Lloret de Mar and Cap Salou.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Leicester Couple's Tsunami Appeal
A Leicester couple are showing their gratitude to the Sri Lankan boatmen who helped save their lives when they were caught up in the Indian Ocean Tsunami, by re-visiting the area with donations for the families who have been displaced and left homeless by the disaster.
At Christmas Tony and Sue Wright returned to Negombo in Sri Lanka to donate hundreds of pounds raised by friends and colleagues in the UK over the previous 12 months.
The money that Tony and Sue collected was used to buy pairs of shoes for every child in the refugee camp at Negombo.
Tony, who booked both trips to Sri Lanka through Holidays-Direct said: “We were so grateful to the people who helped us and for the excellent way they treated us that we really wanted to do something to say thank you and to give something back to the area.”
Holidays-Direct has also donated £100 to the couple to take with them on their next planned trip out to Sri Lanka.
Anyone who would like to make a donation to Tony and Sue’s Sri Lanka appeal can contact them on 0116 229 0578.
More on this story
At Christmas Tony and Sue Wright returned to Negombo in Sri Lanka to donate hundreds of pounds raised by friends and colleagues in the UK over the previous 12 months.
The money that Tony and Sue collected was used to buy pairs of shoes for every child in the refugee camp at Negombo.
Tony, who booked both trips to Sri Lanka through Holidays-Direct said: “We were so grateful to the people who helped us and for the excellent way they treated us that we really wanted to do something to say thank you and to give something back to the area.”
Holidays-Direct has also donated £100 to the couple to take with them on their next planned trip out to Sri Lanka.
Anyone who would like to make a donation to Tony and Sue’s Sri Lanka appeal can contact them on 0116 229 0578.
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