British holidaymakers who are keen to get away this half term - despite Air Passenger Duty increases and Government cutbacks. Carrentals.co.uk, the leading car hire comparator, has reported a rise in long haul bookings rise by 8% this year.
The findings, which are based on a comparison of bookings for February half term in 2011 with those from 2010, demonstrate a significant rise in demand for long haul holidays, with some of the most popular destinations revealed as Auckland, Los Angeles, Cape Town, Jamaica and Sydney.
Gareth Robinson, Managing Director of Carrentals.co.uk, says: “Following an eventful 12 months in the travel industry, many companies have been offering some very enticing deals to boost booking numbers and customers have really been able to benefit from this."
After the extreme temperatures the UK has been experiencing in the past couple of months it’s not surprising that a higher number of people are keen to get away for some winter sunshine and with the fantastic deals that have been on offer, the half term options available to travellers have been extended. We are still seeing many bookings for the popular short haul destinations, such as southern Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands, but with a marked increase in those further afield, such as Mexico, South Africa and the USA.”
In addition to those looking for sunshine breaks, Carrentals.co.uk is also seeing strong demand for ski car hire, with Geneva, Salzburg and Munich all seeing a year on year increase of over 30% for half term bookings.
“Any customers still waiting to book their half term car hire should do so as soon as possible to secure the best deal and a wider choice of vehicles,” adds Gareth. “If there are no cars available at a specified location, for example at an airport, it is worth looking for downtown destinations as often the demand will not be quite as high and customers will have a wider choice.”
A week’s half term car hire at Orlando Airport starts from £13* per day, from £12* per day at Cape Town Airport, from £11* per day at Abu Dhabi Airport, from £9* per day at Malaga Airport and from £19* per day at Salzburg Airport.
“People are always looking to get away for some sunshine through the winter, especially as we've seen sub-zero temperatures over the past few months. Holidays have been extended due to the excellent travel deals that have been on offer, and we have seen a rise in long haul holidays to Mexico, the USA and South Africa as well as the short haul regular trips to the Canary Islands, southern Spain and Portugal.”
There has been a 30% rise in ski car hire compared to 2010's half term holiday, which shows that people are keen to head off to the slopes as much as taking sunshine holidays. Trips to Munich, Salzburg and Geneva have seen the largest increase.
Carrentals.co.uk is the UK’s leading car hire comparison site, comparing deals from brands including Alamo, Auto Europe, Budget, Holiday Autos and Sixt.
Source Carrentals
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