Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Holiday types
Activity 7.6
The traditional 7 or 14-night holiday is giving way to
more short breaks as people look for greater fl exibility in
their leisure time. This is particularly so with city breaks
to European destinations, which have been the fastest-
growing holiday product with British travellers over the
last 20 years. The growth of low-cost airlines and high-
speed rail travel, coupled with the ease of booking
on the internet, have opened up many European
destinations for short breaks and additional holidays.
Short break holidays to Europe tend to be single-
centre, i.e. just to one destination. Longer holidays can
be centred on one location or may be twin or multi-
centre, for example a 10-night touring holiday in France
with overnight stops in Paris, Lille and Rheims. Touring
holidays are popular with older people on organised
coach tours and families who drive themselves between
destinations or take public transport. Cruise holidays
are popular in Europe, especially with people who may
not have taken a cruise before and wish to sample the
product close to home. Many cruises within Europe
start and fi nish in British ports, e.g. Southampton. They
appeal not only to older, retired people, but are now
very popular with families and young couples.
Carry out some research to fi nd two suitable 10-
night holidays in different European countries for
a family from Belfast with teenage children looking
for a summer sun holiday that will allow the young
people to take part in water sports and visit a
theme park, while the parents visit some ancient
monuments. Give brief details of the holidays and
destinations selected, showing how they meet the
family's needs.
This activity is designed to provide evidence for
P2 and M1.
Special occasions
Holidays to mark special occasions are growing in
popularity with British people. Holding a wedding in
the romantic setting of a Greek island or Spanish city
is a novel way of celebrating a special event and may
have the added bonus of more reliable weather! The
same applies to other occasions such as celebrating
birthdays and anniversaries. European destinations
have become very popular with UK hen and stag
parties in recent years. The low cost of air travel, plus
cheaper food and drink, have increased UK visits to
destinations such as Prague, Krakow, Riga and Tallinn.
While bringing welcome revenue to these destinations,
the behaviour of some of the visitors on hen and stag
parties has given the cities a poor image abroad.
Visitor motivation
We tend to think that all British people who go on
holiday to Europe do so for the better weather. In
reality, there are a variety of motivations for travelling
to destinations in Europe.
Activities
Relaxation
There has been a growing trend in recent years for
British people to take part in more activities while on
holiday abroad, rather then just lazing on the beach.
This has developed from an increased interest in health
and fi tness generally amongst the population. Holidays
and short breaks that feature golf, walking, cycling,
mountaineering, white-water rafting, paragliding, wind
surfi ng, etc. have all grown in popularity. Winter sports
holidays, for example skiing and snowboarding, are
particularly popular with families and groups of friends of
all ages. Activity and adventure holidays are also a good
way for solo travellers to meet like-minded people.
The chance to relax and get away from the hustle and
bustle of daily life is a key motivation for holidays to
European destinations. Whether to 'summer sun'
destinations that have a favourable climate in the
summer season, e.g. Majorca and Rhodes, or winter
sun holidays to destinations that offer a warm climate
during the UK winter months, such as Tenerife and
Cyprus, relaxation on holiday is important to many
families, young couples, solo travellers and retired
people.