Revealed: How switching popular holiday destinations for underrated alternatives can save travellers up to 58 per cent in flight costs this summer
- These findings are part of research carried out by flight booking site Skyscanner
- It also finds that 88% of Brits are open to travelling to lesser-known destinations
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Underrated alternatives to some of the usual summer holiday hot spots have been revealed, and what’s more – flights to them are cheaper.
According to Skyscanner, for example, Britons could trade Tenerife for Naples this summer and save 58 per cent on flights.
It recommends leaving Naples’ airport and heading to the nearby village of Atrani, located along the Amalfi Coast, to enjoy its ‘colourful cliffside perch and idyllic beach with views of the Tyrrhenian Sea’.
If Britons swap Dalaman in Turkey for the French seaside town of Menton, meanwhile, they’ll enjoy more savings – flights are 56 per cent cheaper to Nice Airport this summer, which is less than an hour’s drive away from Menton.
Skyscanner notes that historic Menton is nicknamed the ‘Pearl of France’ and boasts picturesque cobblestone streets and a warm climate.
Skyscanner has revealed underrated alternatives to some of the usual summer holiday hot spots – and flights to them are cheaper. Swap Tenerife (image one) for Atrani (image two) near Naples and save 58 per cent on flights
Flights are 56 per cent cheaper to Menton in France (image two) than to Dalaman in Turkey (image one) this summer
Instead of flying to Larnaca in Cyprus, opt for the ‘surfer’s paradise’ of Biarritz – Skyscanner notes that flights are 55 per cent cheaper to the French resort. While there, it recommends you enjoy the ‘spectacular beaches’ along with the great foodie scene and ‘vibrant’ nightlife.
Or trade in the pyramids of Cairo for the ‘White City’ of Amman in Jordan – described by Skyscanner as ‘one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited places in the world’ – and save 45 per cent on flights.
What’s more, the flight booking site reveals that UK travellers could save 35 per cent on flights if they swap the sunny shores of Valetta in Malta for Pula, Croatia – a city ‘filled with Roman ruins and ancient historic sites’ and ‘rocky beaches’.
Instead of flying to Larnaca (image one), opt for the ‘surfer’s paradise’ of Biarritz (image two) – Skyscanner notes that flights are 55 per cent cheaper
Trade in Cairo (image one) for Amman in Jordan (image two) and save 45 per cent on flights
UK travellers could save 35 per cent on flights if they swap the sunny shores of Valetta (image one) for Pula in Croatia (image two)
FLIGHT PRICE COMPARISON
Popular – Tenerife
Average Price – July 2022 – £193
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £233
Underrated – Naples
Average Price – July 2022 – £163
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £153
Popular – Dalaman
Average Price – July 2022 – £234
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £314
Underrated – Menton
Average Price – July 2022 – £220
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £196
Popular – Larnaca
Average Price – July 2022 – £289
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £313
Underrated – Biarritz
Average Price – July 2022 – £124
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £115
Popular – Valetta
Average Price – July 2022 – £185
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £206
Underrated – Pula
Average Price – July 2022 – £199
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £123
Popular – Cairo
Average Price – July 2022 – £530
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £527
Underrated – Amman
Average Price – July 2022 – £486
Average Price – Aug 2022 – £502
Source: Skyscanner
These findings are part of research carried out by Skyscanner in association with OnePoll, which also found that a huge 88 per cent of Brits are open to travelling to more alternative or lesser-known destinations.
Almost half (49 per cent) of those polled said they would be likely to swap their holiday favourites for an alternative option if it meant they were likely to save money.
And 43 per cent of Britons polled admitted they actually prefer booking a trip to a new and alternative holiday destination over a tried-and-tested getaway spot.
Skyscanner notes that it has seen an increase in searches to underrated, alternative destinations, with searches for Biarritz booming by 166 per cent and searches for Valencia up by 165 per cent.
Elsewhere in its research, Skyscanner discovered crowd-pleasing – yet crowd-free – destinations that are popular with locals in Europe, but little known to Britons.
For instance, it found that 52 per cent of Britons surveyed had been to Amsterdam, but only 10 per cent had holidayed in The Hague, the seat of the Dutch government – even though 86 per cent of Dutch travellers had been there.
Skyscanner notes that the coastal city is less crowded and cheaper than Amsterdam – it recommends flying direct to Amsterdam from as little as £72 this August and taking a direct train to The Hague for £12.
Furthermore, 37 per cent of UK travellers have been to Palma in Mallorca, but only seven per cent have explored El Hierro, the second-smallest Canary Island, versus 20 per cent of Spanish travellers surveyed.
Skyscanner notes that UK travellers can fly to Tenerife this summer from £200 return and take the ferry direct to El Hierro for around £46.
A third (31 per cent) of Britons have yet to book their summer holiday this year, Skyscanner reveals, with 49 per cent of that group admitting that they’re still deciding on their ideal summer holiday destination.
To help travellers find underrated alternatives to the conventional holiday hot spots, Skyscanner is launching a new ‘Destination Decider’ feature on Instagram.
Hosted via the ‘direct message’ function on Instagram, the ‘Destination Decider’ bot asks travellers a series of travel-oriented questions before matching them with their ‘perfect’ alternative holiday destination.
SAVE WITH SKYSCANNER’S ‘EVERYWHERE’ SEARCH FUNCTION
Skyscanner’s ‘everywhere’ search function – in which travellers select ‘everywhere’ as their preferred destination while booking flights – reveals the lowest to highest-priced flights you can take around the world on your desired departure dates.
When surveyed, Brits estimated summer holiday flights are likely to cost £271.50 return per person on average this year, Skyscanner reveals. However, the booking site notes that using the ‘everywhere’ search feature, travellers can find cheap deals to alternative holiday spots this August including flights to Aalborg, Denmark, from £24 return; flights to La Rochelle, France, from £36 return and flights to Rimini, Italy, from £53 return.
Source: Skyscanner
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