Turkey & Egypt tourism suffers due to safety fears

Last minute bookings to Turkey have fallen by 57%, while those to Egypt are down 85%, according to The Mirror in the UK.

Large numbers of UK families have switched to “safe haven” resorts in Spain, Portugal and Italy – in an apparent response to safety concerns elsewhere.

 Travel Counsellors head of product Simon Jeffries, the independent firm that compiled the booking numbers, said: “These figures are a clear indicator of the shift towards long-haul ‘experience’ holidays, which looks set to continue for the foreseeable future.

“Traditionally, we might expect foreign travel to decrease in the light of recent global events, but total sales are up 8%, suggesting that far from avoiding foreign travel, Brits are simply modifying their plans and taking advantage of destinations that they feel are ‘safer’, or where their money may go further.”

According to ‘travel experts’, long haul destinations are benefiting from the decline in travel to traditional summer destinations.

Holiday bookings to Thailand have increased 27%, those to Barbados have increased 24%, Canada is up by 45%, Indonesia by 63% and Sri Lanka by 101%.

The UK holiday industry’s most booked destinations this summer has seen Turkey fall from fourth to eighth position, while Egypt has dropped from 11th to 35th.