TRAVELSCENE is promoting alternative destinations to Amsterdam and Bruges as capacity problems in the two cities continue to stifle growth.
The short-break specialist said it will start pushing other cities including Maastricht and Delft in Holland and Ghent and Antwerp in Belgium.
The destinations have all been featured prominently in Travelscene’s new P&O North Sea Ferries Short Breaks and Motoring Holidays brochure.
Chief executive Jo Monfort said coach links to other cities have been introduced to switch business away from Amsterdam and Bruges.
“Previously the links were only to Amsterdam and Bruges,” he said. “Depending on the location we will be promoting these destinations as motoring short-breaks or short breaks available for footpassengers.
“The key message we need to convey through retailers is that weekend bookings are increasingly difficult in Amsterdam and Bruges. We need to divert bookings to midweek where discounts are available or to other destinations.”
Monfort said the programme is looking to carry 15,000 passengers in 1999, up from a little over 12,000 last year.
Special midweek discounts of ú8 per person are available across the programme with prices leading in at ú69 per person for two nights on a P&O ferry and one night at the Ibis Centrum in Bruges.
Meanwhile, the operator has released its second-edition Drivetime and Family Short Breaks brochures. Monfort said the potential loss of duty free revenue could have some impact on demand.
He added a greater emphasis will be placed on promoting business to Ireland.
“City breaks to Dublin continue to be phenomenally popular and we need to use this success to encourage visits further afield,” said Monfort.