The dismal July weather had Irish holidaymakers in search of sun, sea and sand according to the Hotels.com ‘hot list’ for July.
Hotels.com have published a July league table destinations which are experiencing the biggest growth in searches compared to the same period the year before.
Protaras in Cyprus topped the poll in July with searches for the holiday resort increasing by a whopping 906% compared with July 2009. Manama City in Bahrain was second with searches up by 853% while Tangier in Morocco was third with a 755% increase.
North Africa continues to be a hit for Irish sun seekers with Morocco and Tunisia both featuring prominently on the list. Turkey is also proving popular with searches for Antalya up by 603%, Ankara up by 450% and Istanbul up by 425%.
Surprise entries in the top 10 include Charlotte in North Carolina which experienced a 596% uplift in searches and South Lake Tahoe in California which increased by 541%.
Alison Couper, Communications Director at Hotels.com, said: “With the poor weather in July it’s no surprise that sunny destinations such as Cyprus are topping the poll this month. Once again as we saw in June, North Africa’s popularity continues to surge with Morocco and Tunisia ranking high. Long haul destinations are also on the up.â€
Growth in searches on Hotels.com in Ireland comparing July 2009 with July 2010
1. Protaras, Cyprus
2. Manama City, Bahrain
3. Tangier, Morocco
4. Antalya, Turkey
5. Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
6. Medina, Saudi Arabia*
7. South Lake Tahoe, California, USA
8. Villefranche-sur-Mer
9. Djerba, Tunisia
10. Tunis, Tunisia
* It’s in the chart, but we’re guessing it’s more a pilgrimage destination rather than a holiday hot spot (although it’d definitely be hot)
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