BRITTANY Ferries has expanded its holiday programme to France and Spain in anticipation of a 10% rise in bookings in 2000.
The company’s newly published Holidaying in France and Spain brochure features 35 new hotels, bringing the total to around 1,100.
It also includes 10 extra apartment locations, making a total of 42.
There are also more cottage and holiday village options than last year.
Marketing and operations director David Longden said:”Part of our strategy is to increase our in-house holiday business as rapidly as we can.”
He also claimed that the operator’s holiday sales had increased by 20% to more than 250,000 in 1999.
“This year we have a more modest target of 10% growth, because we don’t have any more ferry capacity,” he said.
“We are fairly full in the high season so we have to achieve an off-season increase, and that is more difficult to do.”
Brittany has cut the price of many off-season holidays, although it has increased prices overall by around 3.5% this year.
Longden said that the rate rises were necessary following the abolition of duty-free last summer and a 40% increase in fuel costs that have occured over the past six months. The price of a one-week holiday in an apartment in France starts at £123 for a family of four, while the rate for a week in a holiday village starts at £154 for a family of four.
In Spain, Brittany has introduced a seven-night car tour in the Rioja wine region. Prices start at £282 per person, based on two people sharing.
Meanwhile, Brittany will start welcoming animals on its Portsmouth-Caen and Portsmouth-St Malo crossings after the new pet passport scheme is launched early next year.
Pets are permitted in 40% of the cottage and apartment accommodation featured in the 2000 brochure.