4th July 2009

Greece and Turkey see surge in late bookings.

Late summer holiday sales are beginning to take off with Greece and Turkey leading the way, according to online firm youtravel.com.

The accommodation-only firm claims more than a fifth bookings are for travel within four weeks.   The volume of late bookings has peaked at more than 20% over the past six weeks as consumers start to make firm travel plans for the high season.   Overall bookings are up for the first half of June with noticeable interest in Portugal, Greece Turkey and Tunisia.  

The fastest growing destinations so far this year are in Greece, with both Rhodes and Crete up 27% compared to this time last year.   Turkish resorts are also very popular due to the country being a non-euro destination and real value for money.   Another region seeing an upturn in bookings is the Costa del Sol which has seen a sales boost of 14% compared to this time last year.   The increase in late booking for the pre-summer shoulder season is being mirrored in September and October   As a rule the quieter seasons are hard to sell whilst the peak July and August weeks are booked heavily in advance. This is not so this year, as families are leaving it later to book due to financial uncertainty and the hope for better deals nearer to their departure dates.

Travelling to Greece or Turkey from Manchester airport. As sales increase to these countries, it is , important to book your Airport parking Manchester early to guarantee a space.