Before the days of the internet, as soon as Christmas Day was over the advertising campaigns for summer holidays would appear on British television.
Millions would book their holidays in January, and many would pay weekly or monthly to their local travel agent so by the time it came to take their summer holiday, it had been paid off and it was just spending money to take care of.
Old habits die hard it seems, as despite late deals and instant access on the internet to hundreds of thousands of holidays, nearly half of the British population still book their holiday in the first two months of the year.
‘It’s a habit the country got into over a couple of decades’, one UK based group of travel sites try to explain, ‘And it continues today despite the fact that the cost of an average holiday compared to salaries is way down on when the internet wasn’t around for the mass market to access.’
How long the January and February frenzy continues is anyone’s guess, but as even more of the population gets online and time online increases, the holiday bookings Brits make should become more spread out over the year, and with late deals often available the booking peak might shift from early in the year to the early May and June summer months.
Interesting statistics have been released by one of the UK’s leading holiday companies for the bookings they took in the first weeks of 2008, and it suggests the British love affair with Spain shows no sign of slowing down.
Top searched destination was the Spanish island of Majorca. Majorca is one of the longest established tourist destinations in the world, and has had a tourist board for over a hundred years. Their tourist board has helped ensured the island has remained a British favourite for generations.
Today Majorca receives more than six million visitors annually, yet ninety five percent of her tourists concentrate in only five percent of its territory. Less developed areas of this elegant island are ripe for new development and prime property commands a great premium. Majorca is now also successfully selling holidays away from the coast in traditional areas not known for tourism.
Ibiza, well known in Europe for younger tourists and night clubs which feature visiting and resident British DJ’s, is a neighbouring island of Majorca and also makes the top five most booked holiday destinations in the early weeks of 2008.
The Spanish Canary Islands also feature among the most booked holiday destinations, with Tenerife and Gran Canaria being the second and third most popular areas.
Another Canary Island, Lanzarote, was the fourth most searched holiday destination, but Lanzarote is a popular winter getaway and as well as summer bookings would have benifitted from Britons looking for a winter holiday.
Lanzarote maintains relatively constant temperatures and sees low annual rainfall. Few days are lost to weather-related problems due to this environment, which offers the premium atmosphere for technical improvements and beneficial training. In addition to these benefits, the winds are good and steady in the Canary Islands due to the north-east trade winds, which also bring cooler air in the summers to Lanzarote.
If bookings continue in similar patterns throughout the year, Spain and her islands will be again the destination of choice for the British.
November 28, 2009
Spain Leads 2008 Tourist Race
November 22, 2009
Mallorca: a Little Something for Everyone
Mallorca is the main island of the group that forms an archipelago called the Balearic Islands. Located in the Mediterranean off the east coast of the Spanish mainland, Mallorca is the largest of the Balearic Islands. Mallorca is also the most popular of the islands.
According to the 2005 census, the population of the city of Palma was 375,048. The population of the entire area was estimated to be 517,285; the 12th-largest urban area of Spain. Approximately half of the total population of Mallorca lives in Palma.
Mallorca started to develop as a tourist hot spot in the 1920’s. Today, Mallorca sees more than six million visitors each year, yet ninety-five percent of vacationers concentrate in only five percent of its territory. Less developed areas of this elegant island are ripe for new development and prime property commands a great premium. It seems more people than ever before want to live on or invest in the gorgeous island of Mallorca. Mallorca is known as the Mediterranean Lady and it offers a little something for everyone.
The Spanish housing ministry released figures stating that housing prices rose by 9.1% during 2006; down from 12.8% in 2005. This presents an excellent time to shop for a deal of your own private spot of heaven, Mallorcan style. Property prices remain competitive when compared with other regions of Spain.
Buyers from Russia, Sweden, France and Ireland are jumping on the band wagon that was once dominated exclusively by Brits and Germans. Mallorca’s leading international real estate marketing company is Kuhn & Partner. The company presently has twenty sales offices in Mallorca and Ibiza in the Balearic Islands as well as in Germany. Leading agents in the area show little sign of slowing down. An agent is an excellent starting point to find properties that accommodate individual investment needs and tastes. The rich culture and history of Menorca are a large attraction for visitors and homebuyers alike, making it a peaceful place to live and experience serenity.
However, there is far more to Mallorca than the sea, the sand and the sun. Atmosphere is conducive to everything else in life, surroundings, weather, healthy diet and lifestyle and especially state of mind. Tourists and home buyers alike are attracted to Mallorca’s unique subtropical climate offering peace of mind year around. Soft breezes rolling in from the Mediterranean sea adds to the simple charms and personalities of wonderful lifestyle. Healthy diets of fresh vegetables, fruit, fishes and olive oil constitute a better quality of life. European chefs and sommeliers present culinary delights, cooking savory meals with natural juices and fresh herbs.
Discover Gothic architecture treasures, beautiful almond and olive groves, small sun bleached hilltop villages and white beaches galore. Take a stroll along the quiet city and find yourself surrounded by chic shops full of treasures. Hike along ancient mountain paths. Visit romantic villages mountainside and the historic castles set in the rolling hills of the island. Mallorca Island is dynamic with its dramatic mountains, hidden coves and various historical archeological sites.
Find your palace in Mallorca for a week or for the rest of your life and spend your next holiday in a Mediterranean paradise.