More Europeans are taking wintertime holidays and travelling in search of the sun, preferring beach holidays to winter sports.
The traditional winter skiing holiday in the Alps has suffered market losses.
According to the latest survey of the World Travel Monitor by IPK International, more European holi-daymakers are fleeing the cold winter temperatures, preferring destinations where the sun almost always shines.
The survey, commissioned by ITB Berlin, shows that over the past seven years the number of Europeans taking wintertime holidays has risen by around 50 per cent.
Overall, during the winter of 2013, Europeans undertook around 127 million holiday trips abroad.
During the winter of 2013, Europeans undertook around 127 million trips
This means that compared with summer holidays, winter holidays have gained a significant market share. According to the survey, beach holidays were much more popular than trips to snowbound destinations.
Over the past seven years, in terms of their market share European winter trips abroad have increased by 30 to 40 per cent. UK and German citizens in particular yearn to travel abroad in winter.
Over the past seven years they have regularly swapped places in the rankings for the nation that goes on more winter holidays than any other. In 2013 Germany headed the list, followed by France and Russia.
In recent years Russian travellers have made up a disproportionately large share of the market. Overall, there has been significant growth in the number of foreign holiday trips undertaken by Russians. Winter holidays abroad have always been very important for the Swedes.
According to the survey 52 per cent preferred holidaying in the cold winter months to trips abroad in summer. For 50 per cent of those polled in Finland, France, Spain, Italy and Croatia, winter holidays abroad were also very important.
Looking at the type of winter holidays that Europeans undertake abroad, in 2013 around 25 per cent went on beach holidays, while 23 per cent took city breaks and 17 per cent booked round trips.
By contrast, holidays to snowbound destinations made up only seven per cent of Europeans’ winter trips abroad.
However, when it comes to skiing trips or holidays in the snow, domestic destinations are generally preferred to those abroad.
In 2013 Europeans spent an average of eight days on winter trips, with overall spending amounting to around €890. Beach holidays lasted an average of 10 days, longer than winter sports holidays, which lasted seven days.