With pay packets increasing across the North East, locals are going on holiday more frequently than before. Holidays remain the largest annual purchase in the majority of northeastern households, with the numbers showing that more people than ever within the region are shelling out for them. Recently published studies from UK travel agency Thomas Cook, available to view at https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/thomas-cook-most-booked, have revealed where exactly Geordies are choosing to fly off to. Read on to find out the most popular destinations for sun-starved North Easterners.
Turkey
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Turkey has historically been the most popular holiday destination for travellers from the North East, having occupied the top spot for several years in a row now. While the cultural and economic epicentre of the country, Istanbul, is emerging as a city break destination, it is the sprawling beach resorts which line the coastlines of Marmaris and Antalya that remain the most popular places to visit. The sharp decline in value of the Turkish Lira, shown at UK currency site https://www.exchangerates.org.uk/, has also contributed to Turkey’s attractiveness as a destination.
Greece
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The culture of Greece has been a powerful draw for Geordies for decades now, with Newcastle Airport offering flights to the country since the 1960s. Award-winning Greek restaurants proliferate Newcastle city centre, while locals can also be found getting the Greek culture fix online, logging into https://casino.betfair.com/c/slots to play popular Greek-themed slots such as King of Olympus and Medusa and Monsters. Today, the islands of Kos, Rhodes, and Crete are the most popular destinations for North East travellers, with relatively few flights departing from Newcastle to the Greek mainland.
Balearics
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The Balearic Islands only emerged on the local tourism radar in the late 1990s, but since then has grown in popularity to the point that it is one of the top holiday destinations for residents of the North East. As you might expect, the various islands are more popular with some demographics than others. The party capital of Ibiza is still the most popular booking for 18-30-year olds, while Majorca and Mallorca or much more popular with families and elderly holiday-goers. The full list of the busiest flight routes operating out of Newcastle Airport is available at https://www.caa.co.uk/Airport-data-2018, but they consist largely of Balearic destinations, with Barcelona being the only mainland Spanish city to feature in the top 20 routes.
Canary Islands
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The Canary Islands make up the final entry on this list, with more than two million Brits travelling there for their holidays every year. Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Lanzarote all feature in the top 20 busiest routes out of Newcastle airport, with close to half a million passengers being flown out to these destinations from Newcastle in 2018. The islands are a particularly popular destination during the winter season, owing mostly to their year-round warm temperatures and sunshine. Tenerife, the largest and most densely-populated of the islands is by far the most popular spot among Geordie travellers.
Whether the rankings of the top destinations for North Easterners will change in the years to come remains uncertain. The rise in the popularity of city breaks, as well as potential travel restrictions as a result of Brexit may have an impact in the future, but only time will tell.