The British pound recently reached an all-time low of €1.25, meaning that all holidays and trips to countries with the Euro have never been as expensive for pound owners since the single European currency was introduced. This is now evident in British tourists’ attempts to avoid visiting countries with the Euro like they used to, as they are now turning their attention to destinations slightly further afield such as Egypt or Tunisia. The days of flocks of British tourists coming to Greece or Spain mostly because of sun and the cheap prices seem to be dwindling away.
These suggestions come from the cheapflights.co.uk site which has released stunning results in terms of which searches Britons are now carrying out when looking for their holiday destination. The most amazing result is that of Egypt’s Red Sea resort Sharm El Sheikh, which has seen a 50% increase in searches over the last year. Be it through word of mouth or improved advertising, the destination is certainly enjoying a boom from the British Isles. At the same time, the previously popular resorts of Corfu and Alicante are suffering. 16% less people searched for Corfu last year than in 2006 and Alicante suffered a 3% decrease of similar description.
Along with Egypt, Tunisia has been enjoying a boom and received 47% more searches last year than twelve months earlier. Tourists from the UK seemed to have been waiting as to whether the pound would pick up some strength, then realised this was not going to happen. The research also points to the fact that value of money is an important factor in the choice-making of the British tourists. Although the British have always been placed amongst the world’s most important tourists, only now it is obvious that the value of money is a key consideration for them.
