Some 2009 Predictions...

It's been interesting reading the papers over the past week with all their predictions for 2009 so I thought I'd record here my thoughts on travel and gay travel in particular for 2009.

Firstly, I think the currencies have been over done and we will see the pound recover against the Euro and US Dollar. This has already started to happen with the Euro showing clear ground over parity. I predict we'll see the 1.20 Euro and the 1.50 USD by Easter - not quite what we have been used to but enough to tempt travellers back to these destinations. All our prices are based on these rates of exchange so why not go ahead and book your holiday now whilst there is good choice and prices are competitive?

I don't think we will see a repeat of airlines such as Silverjet, Zoom, Nationwide and XL failing this year as the price of oil has fallen substantially. But I do think a number of niche holiday companies, including possibly some gay specialists, might be in trouble as booking volumes fall as a result of the economic downturn. This means understanding the Financial Protection included with the holiday and checking that it really is as good as the sales team promote, is absolutley vital. For Amro Worldwide that's easy. We hold ATOL 5826 which ensures full protection for your holiday and re-patriation if the airline goes out of business.

As for destinations, the swing to European destinations will continue but I predict that our gay resort at Dalyan in Turkey will be very popular, offering superb value for being outside the Eurozone. For those venturing to Spain, Gran Canaria will remain a top destination but the greater variety and lower price of flights to Barcelona and Malaga will make Sitges and the Costa del Sol resorts of Torremolinos and Malaga more popular than in the past. I suspect that short weekend city breaks will be less popular and the ability to book other than 7 or 14 night holidays through Amro Worldwide will mean more 8 or 9 night holidays to maximise holiday leave and value.

Gay cruises will continue to grow in popularity but I doubt this is the year for the increasing range of gay adventure holidays that we are offering simply due to economic circumstances. One Off celebration holidays such as honeymoons will continue to grow with evermore exotic destinations starting to feature - we've already sold a China, Vietnam and Cambodia trip.

Now for prices. Whilst there will always be bargains to be found and we have plenty on our website, the overall trend in 2009 will be for prices to rise simply as a result of capacity reductions across the entire industry. All holiday companies are keen to get the bookings in now so they know where they stand, so now is the time to search the deals and get booking. Late deals will still be there but the days of last minute distress pricing sales is gone and they will almost certainly be more costly as the year passes by.

So, Happy Travelling to you all in 2009.