The British opt for holidays out of the European Union facing the Brexit stalemate: Thomas Cook

LONDON: British holidaymakers are favoring destinations outside the European Union after repeated Brexit delays have discouraged travelers from booking ahead and made them look further, the travel agency Thomas announced on Monday. Cook.

Turkey and Tunisia are among the main beneficiaries of the reservation trend in non-EU countries, the firm said in a report.

Britain was due to leave the EU on March 29, but a stalemate in Parliament over the terms of Prime Minister Theresa May's agreement on the Brexit delayed the start. A new deadline of 31 October has been agreed with Brussels.

Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel agency, said it was "clear that the lingering uncertainty surrounding the way and the timing of Britain's exit from the European Union has led many to delay their decision as to when and where they book their summer vacation ".

However, a majority of the 3,422 British holidaymakers surveyed by the company nonetheless said they were more likely to spend a holiday abroad than last year, a quarter of them saying their priorities for expenses were higher than in 2018, compared with only 8%. said it was lower.

"Great Britain may be experiencing unique moments from a political point of view, but our desire to have a vacation abroad is clear," said Will Waggott, tour leader at Thomas Cook. .

"The political turmoil has other repercussions, resulting in a clear shift towards third countries."

Thomas Cook has stated that up to now, 48% of his package holiday bookings in the UK for this summer were destined for non-European destinations, an increase of 10 percentage points over the same period last year.

Turkey has overtaken Greece to become the second most popular destination, with Spain in the lead.

And a slight increase in "all inclusive" stays could reflect travelers' desire to "control" food and beverage costs given the possible volatility of the pound, the company said.

Earlier this month, easyJet had warned that travelers were reluctant to book their summer holidays because of uncertainty about the future of Brexit and the decline in demand for tickets and therefore of price.