Tanzania and Hong Kong surge as holiday hotspots
Tanzania, the Maldives and Hong Kong are among the fastest growing tourist destinations for Irish holidaymakers who are increasingly opting for long-haul holidays.
That’s according to Ireland’s largest independent travel specialists, Travel Counsellors, which has experienced a surge in bookings for a number of new markets.
Since last November, bookings for the east African country of Tanzania have risen by 399%; the Indian Ocean archipelago, the Maldives by 196%; and Hong Kong by 135%.
In general, long-haul destinations are also up across the board. Travel Counsellors said bookings for winter 2018/2019 have increased by 26%, while summer 2019 long-haul bookings are also up, rising by 345% when compared to the same period last year.
General manager of Travel Counsellors Ireland, Cathy Burke said greater direct access options, better value and the rise of holidaying in the rest of Europe is driving the spike in bookings for long-haul destinations.
As it has done in the past few years, the USA is topping our long-haul booking list for the coming year and is up 30%.
"This is followed by Mexico which is up 36%; Australia which is up 14%; United Arab Emirates which is up 53% and South Africa is up 22%. What is also interesting to see is the emerging travel destinations now making their way onto the must-do lists of Irish holidaymakers in the coming 12 months,” she said.
Ms Burke said the rise in interest in Tanzania is due to its top safari parks inland, combined with the beaches of Zanzibar, while the introduction of direct flights to Hong Kong has impacted bookings positively.
