Turkish city is Brits' new favourite for winter sun as Spanish island toppled

10 January 2024 , 20:13

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Antalya is now top of the pile (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The Turkish resort city of Antalya has toppled Tenerife as the top winter sun destination for British people.

For decades the Canary Island has held the top spot, but an increase in flight routes and new all-inclusive hotels have seen trips to Antalya grow 33% year-on-year. According to travel firm On the Beach's annual Big Winter Sun Report, 11.9% of holidaymakers have travelled to Antalya this winter season.

It is attractive to British travellers thanks to its year-round sun, cheap resorts, stunning beaches and historic Old Town. Tenerife is the second most popular destination with 11.7% of British travellers going there or planning to this season, while Lanzarote, another Spanish Canary Island, came third with 8%.

Costa Blanca, which includes British tourist favourite Benidorm, was in fourth place, while taking the fifth spot was Hurghada in Egypt. This resort has showed 'incredible' growth with a 53% increase in Britons going there for winter sun holidays year-on-year.

Turkish city is Brits' new favourite for winter sun as Spanish island toppled eiqrtixuikrinv

While Tenerife has been knocked into second place (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

According to the new data, the number of people holidaying in Turkey has increased 36% year-on-year while winter holidays to Egypt have increased 84% compared to last year. The number of holidaymakers travelling to the Canaries has increased by 15%, however the overall percentage share has dropped 8% as these new destinations have gained market share.

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Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach said: “It finally happened, Turkey has finally taken over Tenerife as the number one winter sun destination. In recent years we noticed huge increases in holidaymakers visiting Antalya and Dalaman and now it seems the shift is finally complete.

“An increase in flight options to Turkey and Egypt a rise of incredible all-inclusive hotel offerings are the reasons why we’re seeing this change in the guard, plus it helps that both locations offer all year-round sun.”

The report also found that despite a challenging year in terms of inflation, energy prices and customers potentially having less disposable income, winter holiday bookings overall are up 26% compared to last year, while bookings for five star breaks are up 28% year-on-year.

Not only is Turkey a country with rich history, delicious food and beautiful natural landscape that is attracting increasing numbers of Brits, it is a great place to retire. According to Property Guides, a company that helps people purchase houses overseas, it costs £422 a month to be a retiree in the sun-soaked hotspot.

To live the same life in the UK, you'd need to spend £1,652 a month - four times as much - as the UK state pension is currently £203.85 a week. A large part of the reason Turkey can be so much cheaper to live in is the cost of property.

The average price for a 100 square metre property in Istanbul - the most expensive city in the country - is about £54,000. Crime levels in Turkey are some of the lowest around, with just 214 records of theft per 100,000 people. This compares well to the 280 in England and Wales.

Brits who make the move and settle down to enjoy their golden years in the country aren't likely to feel too much like fish out of water. Turkey has seen a surge in visitors since the end of pandemic travel restrictions, with 2.5million travellers from the UK heading there last year.