Alex Trelinski
UK holidaymakers are opting for Spanish flight and hotel bookings, as interest in breaks to Greece and Turkey falls following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mabrian’s Big Data Platform for Smart Tourist Destinations combines all official holiday and flight booking statistics and internet searches to reveal a shift in trends ahead of the Easter season.
Prior to events in Ukraine, Turkey was the second-most popular destination for British bookings and internet searches behind Spain,
It has now been surpassed by Portugal, with Spain also showing a big rise in demand.
Concern over the proximity of Turkey and Greece to the Ukraine war zone are apparently behind UK travellers looking for breaks closer to home.
Mabrian’s data shows that Britain interest in Spanish bookings has risen by 12.7% since the start of the Ukraine conflict.
Turkish demand has fallen by 10.45% and Greece has recorded an 8.15% drop.
Mabrian says that internet searches for flights and holidays from the UK fell drastically to all four countries following the outbreak of war.
Within a week, search volumes for Spain and Portugal quickly recovered which has not been the case with Turkey and Greece.
One of the big pulling points for Turkey and Greece has been their low cost compared to the Iberian countries, but that appears to be of little concern to UK customers.
Mabrian’s figures show that an average price of an overnight stay in a five-star hotel in Spain over Easter is €238 euros per person compared to €202 euros in Portugal; €180 in Greece; just €126 euros in Turkey.
READ MORE:
- Rising energy prices and food shortages could dent tourist recovery in Benidorm area of Spain
- Spain braced for economic slowdown with Ukraine conflict but insists impact on tourism will be minimal
