Thomas Cook reveals top sellers for 2018
Turkey is outselling Spain and the Canary Islands for summer 2018, according to the latest data from Thomas Cook.
The operator said Spain – including the Balearics and Canaries – is its overall number one seller for the second year running, with Greece at number two and Turkey currently at number three.
But Thomas Cook’s 2018 Holiday Report revealed that Turkey is making a strong comeback and is currently outselling mainland Spain and the Canary Islands combined and closing the gap with Greece.
Package holiday bookings to Turkey are currently up 84% year-on-year.
Thomas Cook said Turkey’s success was down to its keen pricing and quality all-inclusive hotels, with growth driven by families who make up 61% of package bookings for this summer.
Although Turkey isn’t the top search term, online it converts more lookers into bookers for Thomas Cook than any other destination.
"So far this summer, Turkey is the standout destination for British holidaymakers and we are seeing substantial growth in bookings compared to last year," said UK managing director Chris Mottershead.
Egypt is also making a return, with bookings up by 89% year-on-year, despite Sharm el Sheikh effectively still being closed to British tourists.
Over half (51%) of bookings for Egypt are also coming from families.
For Greece, however, it is couples who are driving sales. Adult-only bookings are up 5% year-on-year, accounting for a 64% share of overall bookings to Greece this summer.
The US is this summer’s fourth most popular holiday destination, largely driven by self-drive holidays.
The Caribbean is at number five, replacing Cyprus.~ The report said Cayo Santa Maria in Cuba, which launches in May, is helping to boost Caribbean numbers.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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