Irish consumers plan trips to the sun

Monday June 30th , 2008

Poor weather in the Republic of Ireland has led to a surge in the number of holiday bookings.

Sunway Travel revealed that the amount of bookings for trips to the sun is about five per cent higher than at the same time last year.

Tanya Airey, managing director of the company, told the Sunday Business Post that this is mainly due to recent wet weather and memories of last summer's downpours.

She added the various global economic problems are also failing to deter Irish consumers from taking a break overseas.

Ms Airey commented: "Despite the downturn, the luxury people won't do without is a sun holiday."

This is a positive development for places such as Turkey, as authorities are currently aiming to stimulate growth in the tourism sector.

Indeed, the Turkish government recently said it wants to attract more than 50 million visitors a year by 2023.

This will be more than double the amount of holidaymakers recorded last year and should be highly lucrative for the country's economy.