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Firstly the good news. The travel industry is set for strong growth according to respected market research company Euromonitor. China, France and the US will be the main beneficiaries as international arrivals reach 2.4 billion by 2030. Global arrivals will grow by five per cent this year. Consumers are becoming more demanding and sophisticated, a spokesman said. “Providing as seamless travel experience is critical for competitive advantage.” More research details,http://bit.ly/eurotravel2018.

For the first time the majority of British travellers are taking two or more holidays a year. For those packing their passports the most popular overseas resorts were in Spain, France, the US and Italy. More people are booking city breaks during Easter or Christmas. It seems the traditional peak season fortnight holiday is on the wane.

Still on research, it seems a white Christmas is not all that appealing to Brits prepared to take a long-haul flight – bookings to Miami are up nearly 40%, Miami by 14%. Mumbai, Cancun and Dubai are also up.

So what inspires British holidaymakers to take a holiday? It seems the industry can increasingly thank popular TV shows. At the top of the list is Game of Thrones which has filming locations in countries as far afield as Croatia, Malta and Spain. Northern Ireland is also home to many locations and producer HBO is planning to convert these sites in 2019 into tourist attractions. Locations tourists can visit include Winterfell, Castle Black and Kings Landing. Documentaries by the likes of Michael Palin and Jeremy Clarkson also spark interest along with Ab Fab actress Joanna Lumley (Japan, India and the Silk Road.).

Finally, the controversial subject of Britex has also emerged as a factor in British travel destination decision making.

A massive 20 million people could turn their back on Europe as a holiday destination next summer unless a Britex deal can be struck, according to WTM research. A no deal scenario could see British tourists heading for hotspots such as Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy forced the pay 52 pounds for a visa which allows 90-day access to European destinations. Brits took 45.6 million overseas holidays in 2017 – and 75% of these trips were to EU countries. Popular destinations outside the EU on the rise include Turkey and Tunisia. Iran, Sharjah and Jordon are also working hard to attract more business. Jordon has introduced flights that slash the cost of a 500 Pound holiday to just 200.

Jordon has positioned its Red Sea coastal area of Aqaba as the Middle East’s new winter sun destination. The billion dollar resort development is now completed and Easyjet’s new weekly service from the UK starts on November 10. Two new coastal resorts have been created: Ayla and Saraya Aqaba. Jordon was named one of the top 10 destinations for 2019 by Lonely Planet.

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Written by : Ian McIntosh