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France and Germany May Thrive
November 20, 2008 by Ray Lester
Many residents in the UK have ceased buying real estate due to the credit crunch that has captured most of the world. However, France and Germany may see an increase in trade as Brits are beginning to cast off long holiday journeys in favor of someplace a little closer to home.
Graham McKenzie, operator of the website TravelMole, predicts that families will opt to stay in Europe rather than flying to the islands or to the U.S. for their holidays. If McKenzie is correct, certain areas may get a much needed boost.
He forecasted: “Potentially there may be an upsurge in ferry bookings, so people will be able to shove all their stuff in a car and just jump in with their kids and everything and just go off to France, Germany or Spain.”
McKenzie also predicted that inexpensive flights could be a great help to boost tourism in places such as Paris, Bordeaux and Nice in France; Munich and Berlin in Germany; or Larnaca and Paphos in Cyprus.
The tourism trade has changed drastically over the past couple of years and previously unthought-of locales are becoming this year’s hot spots. Suddenly, families planning their holidays are beginning to look at Peru, Abu Dhabi, Seoul, and Berlin.
Kayak.co.uk recently held a survey regarding holiday destinations. 60 percent of travelers planning to go abroad said they would not change their minds while 23 percent said they would prefer a city in Europe and 41 percent would most like a beach holiday, especially in locales such as the French Riviera and Cyprus.
Source: Assetz
This article just seems to make sense to me that people would prefer to vacation closer to home with money restraints being factored in. There are plenty of wonderful places to vacation right in Europe. It is hard for me to even see a need to spend extra money to vacation elsewhere.
I would agree with you Bob but only if I lived outside of Europe. For those people that live in Europe it would seem likely that they have seen many of the historic landmarks that attract many tourists each year. As a result, they might be looking for alternative places to travel.
I always find it interesting that so many people want to head to the beach for vacation. I would much rather travel somewhere unique on my vacation than lie on a beach all day. I guess some people are only interested in relaxation when they plan their vacation which is totally acceptable.
Well the key thing here is that several countries in Europe are going to really benefit from this trend of staying closer to home when they take their holidays. So many countries are struggling it is nice to read about something good happening as a result. It is a nice change.
I agree W Stewart, It is a nice change. With that being said, I also agree with O Gierek. When I plan my vacation the last thing I want to do is head to the beach. I want to go sightseeing and take advantage of all of those once in a life time opportunities.