Spain reigns for British holidaymakers, reveals Classic Collection Holidays

Bookings made by partner agents of multi-award winning luxury operator Classic Collection Holidays, have revealed that whilst Spain looks set to be the most popular destination once again this year, hot spots across Greece could enjoy a bumper year, with bookings of holidays showing significant year on year growth.

According to research of sales made during the busy January period, whilst Spain and Greece are the first and second most popular destinations respectively, destinations across Italy are also proving popular this year, with the operator seeing an increased demand for holidays to destinations across the country, such as the Amalfi Coast and the lakes.

Research also shows a dramatic increase in bookings of holidays to the Portuguese island of Madeira. Nicknamed the ‘Floating Garden of the Atlantic', January bookings suggests Madeira could have its best year ever, in terms of the number of British holidaymakers heading to its shores.

Hotly tipped to become a major hot spot amongst British holidaymakers for several years, Croatia completes the top five list of the most popular destinations this year.

Top five most popular destinations for 2020 (according to bookings during January 2020)

Spain

Greece

Italy

Portugal

Croatia

2020 set to be a big year for Egypt and Turkey

Research conducted by Classic Collection Holidays, also reveals that Egypt is set to become a major hot spot once again this year, with destinations such as Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam, all proving popular amongst sun-seeking British holidaymakers.

Booking data revealed the destination as an emerging destination for 2020, following the announcement from the FCO in October last year, which saw it lift its restrictions on flights between the UK and the Egyptian resort.

Turkey is also named one of its emerging destinations, following a troubled few years, along with Malta, Austria and Montenegro.

Long-haul destinations proving popular

Since launching its new long-haul programme in January, Classic Collection Holidays has also seen strong early demand for its new product, with Sri Lanka and Mauritius named its most popular far away destinations for 2020.

The operator, which now offers holidays to destinations such as the Maldives, Kenya and Tanzania, has also witnessed strong demand for holidays to destinations such as Vietnam and South Africa.

Alex Gavalda, Director of Product & Supply at Classic Collection Holidays comments: “Long-haul demand has been strong since launch for our growing range of product. We have also seen an increase in demand for premium cabins, along with higher hotel room categories.”

“We also recently divided our contact centre into areas of specialism to ensure calls are more accurately placed. Our Worldwide Travel Teams focus single centre and simple bookings, whilst our Personalised Travel Team is dedicated to more complex itineraries. This changes aims to improve our already high standards of service to our travel agent partners, who are also benefiting from the increased revenue that these higher value bookings bring.”