KIRKER Holidays has introduced Valencia to its winter 1999/summer 2000 Selected Cities brochure, taking the total number of destinations featured to 47.
Sales director Ted Wake said: “Valencia has all the genuine elements of a traditional Spanish town, without the trappings of a more mass-market tourist destination.”
The operator plans to promote Spain’s third largest city as a cultural centre for operas and concerts and for its Mediterranean seafood. Prices start at £283 per person for a three-night break based on two people sharing.
Kirker has also added 20 hotels to its brochure, which increases the total to 300 and makes it the company’s largest ever programme.
It has added a self-catering option – the three-star Libertal Daubantan in Paris, where prices start at £279 per adult and £229 per child for a group of four for three nights.
“We will be selling it selectively,” said Wake. “It is in response to demand from families. However, Paris is a special case and we have no plans to extend the range of self-catering options.”
Wake claimed that Kirker had increased its turnover by 20% in 1999 and expected to develop this by 10%-15% next year. He refused to reveal exact figures.
But he said passenger volumes had risen by 17% to 25,000 in 1999. Customer spend had also increased by 17.5% to £510 per person. Wake claimed the growth in spend was due to Kirker’s success in promoting holidays as suitable for special events such as anniversaries and the popularity of longer, multi-centre holidays.