British holidaymakers get the Latin rhythm

While British holidaymakers were not put off travelling abroad by an 'annus horribilus' of weather-related flight cancellations, strikes, economic cut backs at home and political unrest in some of the most popular resorts overseas over the past 12 months, they have been choosing some unexpected destinations - according to Hayes & Jarvis' latest Long Haul Holiday.

Although the Maldives, Thailand and the USA remain H&J's best sellers, in recent weeks Brits have been flooding to Latin America, making Mexico and Brazil among the fastest growing winter sun destinations.

Commenting on bookings made in the final weeks of 2010 and in January to date, Hayes & Jarvis Commercial Director Niel Alobaidi said that Mexico had shown the most dramatic growth of any destination, with demand fuelled by British Airways' November introduction of a direct service to Cancun from London Gatwick.

"The new route makes travel to Mexico much easier and has put the spotlight on Cancun and the Riviera Maya resorts whose hotels responded with really exceptional All Inclusive offers. These made winter sun package prices unbelievably good value and we have seen a resulting growth in bookings of more than 270 per cent over the past six weeks. Prices remain exceptionally competitive now and so we expect the heavy demand for Mexico to continue as holidaymakers book early to get good deals" he said.

Winter sun holidaymakers are being attracted to other Latin American countries too, as Brits finally get the long-heralded Latin rhythm. After launching a dedicated brochure in November, Hayes & Jarvis saw significant growth for Peru, Argentina, Chile and, particularly, Brazil, with combined bookings - mostly for complex multi-centre, multi-country holidays - up over 37 per cent against the same period in 2009.

Niel Alobaidi said: "Latin America has been promising to explode onto the holiday scene for years but has only recently begun to ignite - helped by the opening of more beach resorts in Brazil at a price British holidaymakers can afford. As the focus sharpens on Brazil in advance of the 2014 World Cup and its tourism infrastructure improves, we expect demand to rise, so now is the time to go before prices rise too."

While prices may be on the way down in Latin America, nowhere on the long haul holiday map can beat Egypt for value. Despite December's shark attacks, demand remains high as Brits seek out low-priced Red Sea packages and Hayes & Jarvis says that Egypt has again trounced the opposition to take first place in its quarterly Package Price Index for both All Inclusive and B&B-based one week stays.

According to the new Index, which compares prices in January across 14 destinations worldwide, a one week All Inclusive holiday in Egypt (£599 per person) is under half the cost of a week in a similarly-rated resort in Barbados, Costa Rica, Brazil, the Maldives or Dubai (£1,199-£1,399 per person). Furthermore, prices for stays based on both bed & breakfast and All Inclusive accommodation have fallen by over seven per cent since the first Index, published in September 2010.

Niel Alobaidi said: "Winter sun holidaymakers will be hard-pressed to find better value than on a package holiday to Egypt. The Package Price Index shows that holidays to top resort hotels are being discounted by between 14-17 per cent and are significantly less expensive than in any other destination, whether holidaymakers choose All Inclusive or bed & breakfast accommodation."

Savvy travellers can still find a luxury package costing less now than a mid-range one a year ago if they look carefully. Hayes & Jarvis cites the example of a seven-night All Inclusive holiday departing on 27 January to the four-star plus Jaz Belvedere Resort in Sharm el Sheikh. This costs just £545 per person, slightly less than a three-star stay at the Hilton Sharks Bay a year ago (£549 per person).

Another destination which has experienced a bookings boom on the back of competitive prices and greater flight availability is Las Vegas, now Hayes & Jarvis' third-placed bestseller and one of four US destinations to make it into the H&J top ten, the best ever performance.

Niel Alobaidi said: "The USA has had a great year on the back of a much more stable dollar exchange rate but the real star of the show has been Las Vegas, where there has been much more competitive flight availability to keep prices low, with both BA and Virgin increasing their capacity from the UK. Bookings have been strong all year for both Vegas city break trips and multicentre holidays combining Las Vegas with the West Coast cities but these have risen by over 30 per cent year on year in recent weeks."
While Thailand beach holiday bookings began to bounce back early last autumn, showing a healthy 20 per cent increase year on year, recovery for Bangkok was slower after the spring riots. As a result, Hayes & Jarvis is only now seeing a return to normal booking patterns in which Bangkok is combined with a beach break. Hayes & Jarvis Sri Lanka sales also slowed in the second half of 2010 after a strong early year performance but demand is returning now after attractive hotel incentives helped to reduce package costs.

Looking ahead, Niel Alobaidi says there is a danger of confusion about the impact that the VAT rise may have on holidays. "Holidaymakers may be concerned that this will lead to price rises but in fact there is no VAT on long haul trips and incentives offered by both hotels and airlines means that holiday prices are currently very competitive - especially for premium accommodation and All Inclusive holidays.

For more information, visit: hayesandjarvis.com