New online booking enquiries data has revealed rising demand for Morocco, Egypt and Turkey with Malta emerging as a “rising star” for breaks across the summer.
The data comes from holiday rental firm HomeAway UK which runs the www.HomeAway.co.uk and www.OwnersDirect.co.uk websites.
The combined increase in enquiries to the so-called MET countries was 193% year on year, compared to 51% in the Cote d’Azur, Costa del Sol and Algarve, according to a company report.
The rise in popularity of destinations outside the traditional ‘MED’ favourites was also supported by a traveller survey.
When asked how the economy would affect their travel plans this summer, 22% of travellers visiting HomeAway UK sites said they would look for a cheaper destination, but only 6.4% said this would mean choosing a ‘no-fly’ location.
New flights and a ramped up advertising campaign, combined with affordable rates for holiday rentals, meant Malta saw a doubling in booking enquiries in the second quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2009.
The island, which hosts the Travel Convention organised by Abta later this month, featured among the top 10 destinations enquired about on for holidays in June, July, August and October.
Brazil, Montenegro and Turkey were among the top 10 emerging markets in terms of growth in supply and demand in the second quarter of 2010.
Thanks to low property prices, strong economic growth and renewed traveller interest, they experienced a combined increase of 116% in the number of holiday rental listings and 161% in booking enquiries.
With the next World Cup and Olympics in Brazil, a raft of new developments in Montenegro, and Istanbul’s raised profile as a capital of culture in 2010, the three countries present an “exciting opportunity” for existing owners and new investors.
Meanwhile, as the deadline for consultation on the proposed change to the UK Furnished Holiday Lettings tax draws near, over half of holiday home owners are still not sure how, or if the changes will affect them.
To cover the potential removal of loss relief, 56% of holiday home owners said they would have to increase their rental rates if the proposals were accepted, while 17% said they would have to stop renting their property.
One of the main proposals from HMRC is to increase the minimum period for which a property is let to 15 weeks instead of 10 a year.
While many owners may fear this is hard to achieve, data from HomeAway UK shows that on average the majority of owners do manage this, and a third achieve 20 weeks or more.