The Dutch flock to the sun during the Christmas holidays. The Canary Islands and Cape Verde are particularly popular, says TUI. According to TUI, the flow of Christmas holidaymakers is greater than ever. ‘Many Dutch people are fleeing the rain and cold in the Netherlands and are opting for a sunny destination.’ Not only sun holidays are popular, holidays to the snow are also widely booked. “The need for sun and snow is great and the Dutch are not deterred from going on holiday by inflation and increased prices,” says TUI, which reports on the basis of the booking figures that sun holidays are especially popular for the Christmas holidays. The top 3 destinations during Christmas at TUI are as follows: 1.de Canary Islands (+20% compared to the Christmas holidays last year), especially Gran Canaria. 2.ABC islands (+10%), especially Curaçao. 3.Cape Verde Islands (+60%), especially Sal. Many consumers choose the Canary Islands and Cape Verde Islands because of the sun security. This uncertainty also applies to Egypt; the resorts in Marsa Alam and Hurghada are the main ones chosen. According to TUI, Egypt offers the most interesting price for a sunny holiday in winter. TUI has shifted part of its flight capacity to the Canary Islands and Cape Verdean Cape Verde. ‘There is a lot of demand for these destinations in the winter. And not only from the Netherlands but also from other countries, so those who were not there in time were often unable to book the accommodation of first choice for Christmas.’ Sun seekers are also willing to fly further. Curaçao, along with Aruba and Bonaire, is by far the most favorite destination, followed by Cancun, Dominican Republic and Dubai. During winter sports holidays, the snowfall in the Alps in recent weeks has caused a real last-minute boom. Winter sports enthusiasts mainly go to Austria, with France in second place. For transport to Austria, the car is still in first place, but the share of (night) train journeys is increasing. The ‘other winter sports’ in Finland is in third place and the new snow destinations Norway and Sweden are also attracting a lot of interest, says TUI. TUI fly’s very first flight to this new winter sports destination will depart for the new Scandinavian Mountains Airport on 23 December. London remains the Christmas capital of Europe with the most city travellers, according to TUI, even 20% more than last year during the Christmas holidays. Prague is also attracting more interest than ever and even attracts 58% more holidaymakers. (Photo Shutterstock).
