After the recent massacre in French Nice and the attempted coup in Turkey, travelers seek new destinations for their summer holidays. Sicily and Spain benefit the most.
The terrorist attacks that have been frightening European countries all too often recently have resulted in a change of travelers’ behavior as well as of the tour operators’ offer. Summer 2016 will be remembered for the significant drop in demand for foreign travel, which amounted to –50% over the previous years.
The destinations that are considered risky for summer holidays are naturally deserted by tourists. Turkey is one of the examples – in 2014 the country was the sixth most desired destination, but now, according to the tour operators, the county almost disappeared from their offer.
The same is true for Tunisia considered unsafe since 2015, after the massacre on the Sousse beach and the massacre at the Bardo museum. The consequences of the Nice massacre in France have not yet been calculated, but the flow of tourists has almost halved in the country since the Paris attacks in November. Finally, the amount of flights to Egypt, Morocco and the whole North Africa was reduced as well. Greece has also reported weak season thanks to the masses of migrants coming to the country.
Spain on the other hand benefits immensely from the impact of fear since the country is regarded as a safe destination for summer holidays. The Canary and Balearic Island even reported an increase in demand of 30-35%.
Sicily is also on the top of the list of safe holiday spots. While many Italians opt for domestic travel this year, great amount of them head to Sicily to enjoy the local beaches and mountains. The airport in Palermo, the capital of the Sicily region, announced an increase in passenger traffic of 13.2% over the first half of 2016, and an increase of 8.6% of the number of flights.
As you know, inclusive holidays to beach destinations are always in high demand that includes famous destinations such as Turkey, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt. That implies you can quickly and adequately get something to eat before wandering back outside to experience the sunshine.