Colombia has been rated the hottest destination for Britons to visit this autumn.
Specifically, the small town of Nemocon on the outskirts of Bogota, the South American country’s capital. It’s followed by the Greek isle of Mykonos (second), Pigianos Kampos in Crete (third), and Istanbul (fourth) and Alanya (fifth) in Turkey.
They are the top five in a top 10 ranking – the 2022 Autumn Travel Index – produced by Tripadvisor, which looked at destinations that have seen the biggest year-on-year increase in searches on Tripadvisor by Britons for trips this autumn.
Colombia has been rated the hottest destination for Britons to visit this autumn. This is according to a ranking produced by Tripadvisor, which looked at destinations that have seen the biggest year-on-year increase in Tripadvisor searches
Mykonos (pictured) is number two in the ranking. A wine tasting is one of the highest-rated activities on the island
First-place Nemocon is home to the second largest salt mine in Colombia – a ‘highly Instagrammable attraction’, according to Tripadvisor.
The top-rated Tripadvisor attraction in the town is a private tour of the salt mine, with the site noting: ‘On this private tour bookable on Tripadvisor, visitors to the town can explore the salt mine 80 metres (262ft) underground and marvel at the world’s biggest salt crystal, known as the ‘Colombian Heart’.’
Meanwhile, in second-place Mykonos, a wine tasting is one of the highest-rated activities, and in Pigianos Kampos, it’s a cooking class that’s popular with tourists.
A street food tour with a local guide is a hit in Istanbul, and in Alanya, a tour of the ancient city of Hierapolis and a visit to the Pamukkale hot springs is in demand with travellers.
In Pigianos Kampos, pictured, which ranks third, it’s a cooking class that’s popular with tourists
A street food tour with a local guide is a hit in Istanbul, which is fourth overall in the ranking
Two more Turkish hotspots make it into the top 10 – Guvercinlik and Antalya rank as the sixth and seventh fastest-growing destinations respectively.
The rest of the top 10 of trending destinations comprises Milan (eighth), Cairo, Egypt (ninth) and Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (10th).
What’s more, the study, which is based on a combination of Tripadvisor’s first-party searches and consumer data, reveals that Britons think that the five most important ingredients for an exciting trip are scenery (53 per cent), food (52 per cent), weather (42 per cent), culture (40 per cent) and activities (38 per cent).
More than one in five (21 per cent) said that the purpose of their trip is to experience something new and unique and the same number have booked an on-trip activity ahead of their trip to help them do so. Thirty per cent said that activities are the most memorable part of a trip.
The Turkish resort town of Alanya, pictured, lands fifth in the Tripadvisor ranking
The study found that millennials are the most likely to take a trip this autumn, with almost three-quarters (73 per cent) saying that they plan to do so, the study reveals. On the other end of the spectrum, boomers are the least likely to travel at 60 per cent.
Tripadvisor says that the study indicates that ‘globally, domestic trips are still the number one choice, with almost two-thirds (60 per cent) of global travellers opting to travel this way this autumn’.
It says: ‘However, Britons are going against the grain this season with international travel just inching ahead of domestic, as over half of Britons (51 per cent) say that they plan to travel abroad versus 49 per cent choosing to stay within the UK.’
Sixth place in the ranking is snapped up by the resort of Guvercinlik (pictured), which lies in Turkey
A waterfall tour is one of the top-rated activities in seventh-place Antalya, Turkey (above)
The Italian city of Milan swoops into eighth place in the overall ranking
Whether going abroad or not, most Britons (75 per cent) say that they plan to travel between one and six hours from home, while almost a quarter (23 per cent) are heading somewhere seven or more hours away. The majority (58 per cent) of Britons are planning to take a trip of at least four nights this autumn.
Tripadvisor notes that the first and second weeks of September are the most popular travel dates for UK travellers this autumn.
While interest rates in the UK have just risen to 1.75 per cent – the highest since 2008 – over two-thirds of respondents (68 per cent) said that they are planning an autumn break this year.
Three out of five (60 per cent) respondents, however, said that inflation will impact how they travel. Thirty per cent said that they will likely travel for shorter lengths of time and the same number said that they will likely travel somewhere closer to home than previously planned. Gen Z travellers appear to be the most affected by price hikes as 69 per cent said the rising cost of living will change the way that they intend to travel. Boomers seem to be the least affected with just 31 per cent saying the same.
Cairo – where a private tour of the pyramids is a highly-rated activity – lands ninth on the list
The Egyptian coastal city of Sharm El-Sheikh, pictured, bags tenth place in the Tripadvisor ranking
Tripadvisor says that ‘for the majority of Britons, continued rising costs are unsurprisingly prompting consumers to alter their spending habits, inclusive of adjusting their travel plans’.
However, it notes that despite rising costs, the survey showed that two out of five (37 per cent) Britons still intend to travel as planned this autumn – ‘inflation be damned’.
Tripadvisor adds: ‘For many, it seems that a holiday is too precious to give up and Britons would rather cut back on expenses elsewhere to protect that all-important time away.’
Forty-three per cent of UK respondents said that they plan to travel more this autumn than they did during the same period last year, rising to 69 per cent for Gen Z travellers when breaking out by generation. More than one in two (53 per cent) Britons plan to spend more with two-thirds (66 per cent) of Gen Z travellers claiming they’ll do the same.’
This is also reflected in traveller behaviour, says Tripadvisor, noting that the average value of a trip booked by UK travellers this Autumn is 83 per cent higher than the same period in 2021.
The study also compared the spending habits of travellers in U.S, UK, Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan, and found that after Americans, Britons are the biggest spenders.
For more information, visit Tripadvisor.co.uk.
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