Tonight:
4°c
Egypt overtakes European resorts for half-term sun
Jonathan Prynn and Sri Carmichael23 Oct 2009
RECORD numbers of British families will take their October half-term holidays in distant sun-spots because of the weakness of the pound and the "staycation summer" washout, according to new figures.
For the first time Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt has overtaken traditional favourites Majorca and Lanzarote.
Half-term holidays to Sharm el Sheikh, where average daytime temperatures are about 28C in late October, have increased by 142 per cent since last year, according to a survey by Cooperative Travel.
The rise coincides with a sharp fall in the cost of holidays to the Red Sea resort, with the average price for a family holiday dropping by a fifth, from £2,394 to £1,898.
The price of holidays to Tenerife, the most popular destination this year, have risen by 15 per cent due to a weak pound, which this week hit a six-month low against the euro. Half-term trips to New York are up 43 per cent, according to travel agents Lastminute.com.
Currency exchange firm Travelex said demand for long-haul currencies is up by as much as 26 per cent on this time last year. The biggest rise was for the South African rand, while the Hong Kong dollar is up 16 per cent and Thai baht sales are up 11 per cent.
Travelex is exchanging 21 per cent more Turkish lira and online sales of the Egyptian pound have gone up by 16 per cent. Thomson and First Choice say they are planning to introduce more mid-haul packages to Turkey and Egypt.
