So, what’s hot and what’s not right now? Or rather, where’s hot and where’s not for our holidays? We’ve analysed a bunch of data, including cost and demand, and can share the top 50 destinations worldwide for British travellers. We compared the second quarter of 2016 with the same period in 2015 and the results are fascinating – best of all we can reveal that the average price of flights to your favourite destinations has fallen by a whopping 22%!
Greece is the word
The island hoppers amongst us; those seeking azure waters and white sands have helped to massively increase searches to Crete by 345%, and Corfu by 238%, when compared with last year. After not even featuring in last year’s Top 50, this makes the Greek islands the king and queen of the comeback. This massive resurgence in interest has largely been stoked by a steep decline in prices – the cost of a flight from the UK to Crete has dropped by about 67% and to Corfu by 62%, meaning average flight prices are a steal at just £63 and £70 respectively.
An Italian sub
In addition to Crete and Corfu, there are three more new kids on the block. Pisa and Naples make an Italian sandwich either side of the other new entry, Denpasar. Pisa is the highest new entry in popular destinations with a 55% drop in average flight prices.
Like watching dominoes
So, with massive price drops in Italy and Greece, where does that leave those of us looking outside the Mediterranean? In a very good position, indeed. Compared to the same time last year, flight prices fell across the board, creating an average drop of 22%; a figure that’s definitely not to be sneezed at. In fact, of the 50 most searched for locations, 46 saw a healthy decrease in price. Only three destinations increased in price, Lisbon (2%), Nice (4%) and Singapore (1%), while one, Tokyo, remained the same.
Make the most of premium price drops
Destinations that have long been considered ‘Prime Destinations’, (ergo, much more expensive), have also leapt up the list thanks to price drops leading to a surge in their popularity. With flight prices halving from about £175 in the second quarter of last year to an average of £89 in 2016, it’s little wonder that Reykjavik’s popularity has soared dramatically, climbing 39 places to settle comfortably in the top 5. This was aided in part by an increased number of flights from the UK to the capital but probably more by Iceland’s unique appeal, with its lunar landscapes, mind-blowing music and, of course, the recent heroics of Iceland’s national football team.
Reykjavik is joined by other previously premium spots, Ibiza and Milan, where average flight prices have, once again, fallen significantly. Prices to Ibiza dropped by an average of 58%, which led to an unsurprising increase in searches and a jump of 14 places in the top 50. Flight prices to Milan also fell by 58% pushing it a respectable 13 places up the list.
Holding on for dear life
I want to be a part of it, New York, New York! Well – seems we all do. The Big Apple is once again the number 1 most sought-after travel destination, while Los Angeles and Las Vegas both saw significant falls in searches, causing them to really tumble back down the list. India was hit even harder with Mumbai and New Delhi dropping 22 and 19 places respectively. But at least all these cities stayed on the list. Chicago, Sydney, Munich, Johannesburg and Washington disappeared from the top 50 entirely.
Is this trend here to stay?
It appears so. The significant fall in prices is in line with our previous quarterly flight price index, so seems this trend is sticking around for a while.
We’ve noticed that there’s an increasing trend among Brits to make shorter, but more frequent holidays (travel searches to EU countries have increased by 15% in 2016 when compared to 2015), so while long-haul destinations like the US and India are falling off the radar, there couldn’t be a better time to travel to hot destinations like Reykjavik, Faro, and Ibiza.
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Note to editors:
All data is based on searches and clicks on KAYAK.co.uk between 01.11.2014-30.06.2015 for travels in Q2 2015 and 01.11.2015-30.06.2016 for travels in Q2 2016. All price indicators are based on roundtrip economy flights, are subject to conversion rate from USD to GBP (considering an average from the respective search period but not considering the conversion rates after 20th June 2016). Searches include all destinations excluding the UK. Prices are subject to change, may vary or are no longer available anymore. Savings are not guaranteed.
