The shifting patterns of leisure travel in the coming winter are clear from the holidays offered by the big tour agencies.
Africa is one major change. Huge price cuts are being offered in an effort to lure people to the Islamic-dominated north of the continent, where people are
reluctant to go.
In contrast, at the other end of the continent, South Africa is in a boom period in spite of the rising value of the rand, which is increasing the price of going there.
Major destinations in north Africa such as Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia are all between 10% and 20% cheaper.
Three factors for this include the terror attack in Tunisia earlier in the year, the war in Iraq and the prolonged hostage crisis in the Sahara.
North Africa has simply become unpopular, and hoteliers as well as tour operators have cut their prices. But, industry insiders are optimistic, one saying that the region tends to recover quickly from setbacks.
He named Egypt after the attacks in Luxor in 1997 as one example, and added: ”Most holidaymakers want to see sun in winter, and not snow.”
The rate of the rand for a long time kept South Africa cheap. But, that is now changing. One operator is charging up to 18% more.
Car hire is one expenditure which has risen sharply, with an increase of 3% in some cases. But, insiders predict this will not slow the boom.
By contrast there is little interest in destinations between North Africa and South Africa. Huge swathes of Africa are simply spaces on the map which do not enter calculations because of the political situation.
There are exceptions. Gambia, on the west coast, has returned to the catalogue of one tour operator after three years of absence.
On the east coast, Kenya and Tanzania also remain in calculations, in spite of terror warnings, and many people travel regularly to the region. — Sapa-DPA