New rivals to traditionalshort-break favourites

City-stay market by Brian Richards

New rivals to traditionalshort-break favourites

Destinations set to hit record booking levels

City-break business to Central Europe looks set to hit record levels this year, prompting operators to claim the region could one day be as popular as the Spanish and Italian short-stay markets.

Cresta cities brand manager Ian Ackland said: “Prague and Budapest especially have the potential. It will only take a few years to happen as more hotel chains open up and the expansion of flights continues.”

Travelscene commercial manager Paul Stanley agreed. “I think the region has potential because as cities such as Barcelona fill up, people will start looking for alternatives,” he said.

Prague remains the most popular destination in Central Europe with operators Bridge Travel Service, Inghams and Cresta reporting 70%, 35% and 18% increases in business to the city respectively.

Inghams Eurobreak manager Helga Stelzhammer said: “After conceding the top spot to Barcelona last year, Prague is again our most popular city destination. The 70% increase is way above target.”

The newly opened 162-room Four Seasons Prague has added much-needed five-star hotel capacity to a city dominated by three-star properties.

Kirker Holidays sales manager Ted Wake said: “It’s been a challenge finding good quality accommodation in Prague. The city is laden with three-star hotels that don’t always offer the standards people expect.”

Budapest is also performing well. Bridge claims Budapest sales are 40% up and Sovereign is profiting from its own promotional campaign of the Hungarian capital.

Sovereign cities product manager Sheena Paton said: “The trend for Central Europe is definitely upward, with Budapest showing an exceptional increase. It’s among our best performers.”

Crystal added Cracow this year and the destination is now outselling its Polish rival Warsaw, according to cities product director Alan Betty.

He said: “The strong marketing by the Polish National Tourist Office, coupled with good TV exposure have given people a very good awareness of Cracow. It means they know in advance what the city actually has to offer.”

Warsaw is also doing well with twin-centre breaks in Prague or Budapest, using the three-way Trio fare offered by LOT, Malev and CSA. “Our Warsaw traffic is up 121% as a result of the special fare,” said Inghams’ Stelzhammer.

Growth in Austria is coming not from the capital Vienna, but from Innsbruck and Salzburg, according to Cresta’s Ackland.

“Innsbruck and Salzburg had a fantastic 2000 and are up to 25% ahead this year,” he said. “What’s needed is now is promotion of Vienna as a trendy city, an alternative to Copenhagen and Stockholm.”

Good year: Inghams has reported a 70% increase in sales to Prague