As someone who has a very keen interest in the travel industry, I always like to look at the latest trends. It’s always interesting to see where people choose to go on their holidays. Official statistics can often provide a useful insight, while we can also learn plenty by talking to friends, family and work colleagues.
Looking specifically at where people choose to travel within Europe, it’s clear that preferences are changing. When people leave the United Kingdom, it’s long been the case that they tend to head for the two countries that are most popular with British holidaymakers. These are, of course, France and Spain.
There are a number of reasons why these countries have historically been popular as destinations. Partly it’s all about these with which we can reach them. France is a particularly easy country to getting, thanks to the excellent transport links between France and the UK. Spain, although being a little farther away, has benefited from the fact that it offers a great climate and relatively cheap prices.
Although both of these locations remain popular, we’ve seen people looking to travel to alternative destinations. In some cases, people have become bored with visiting the same old locations. As a result, they’ve been looking at alternatives. It helps, of course, that cheaper flights have made more areas of Europe easily accessible to holidaymakers.
So which parts of the continent have become more popular in recent years? There’s no doubt that more and more people are looking in an easterly direction. Countries such as Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic were once barely thought of as being places that many people would wish to visit. These days, however, they are increasingly being seen as mainstream destinations.
Flights to these places are certainly falling in price and costs are often lower when it comes to dining out and being entertained. But this isn’t all about price. That immediately becomes clear when you talk to people who visit these countries. The reality is that the countries of eastern Europe have an enormous amount to offer.
They often combine historic cities, beautiful countryside and wonderful culture. They are rivalling more traditional holiday locations in all areas. This trend looks set to continue and we may even see people looking to travel to other destinations that have, up until now, possibly seemed rather obscure.