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Old favourites top lettings chart

Established investment markets continue to top the charts when it comes to holiday lettings, though a few outsiders are creeping up the list...

Earlier this year Continental Research predicted that 63% of UK adults would book part of their holiday online this year. 75% more people browse Holidaylettings.co.uk each day than this time last year, with a recent record 50,000 visitors in one day, demonstrating a leap in popularity of self catering accommodation and online holiday booking.

Countries most in demand for holiday lettings June 2007

1. Balearic Islands

2. Australia

3. Malta

4. Germany

5. Egypt

6. England

7. Croatia

8. Thailand

9. Greece

10. Italy

Most importantly for investors in Eastern European markets and touted property hotspots, holidaymakers are being drawn in. Based on the number of booking enquiries sent to each holiday home in June 2007 Croatia and Hungary attracted the highest number of enquiries per property in Eastern Europe during this period, with Croatia exceeding the site average by 36%.

Eastern Europe rising fast

The level of interest in Hungary changed little from the same period in 2006 and Croatia grew. Interest in Bulgarian holiday homes was slightly below the site average, but there are more Bulgarian properties for holidaymakers to choose from currently than in Croatia and Hungary.

An example of the promise Croatia has to offer both in the volume of new holiday homes available to let but also the range and quality of accommodation is Hiza Suzanna (www.holidaylettings.co.uk/20393), a beautifully restored house near Istria that offers either two or four bedroom accommodation, depending on your needs.

Countries that shone in June based on the number of enquiries per property include Greece, Egypt, Germany, Thailand and Morocco. Although interest in Morocco has declined in comparison to the same period last year, it still attracted an above site average number of enquiries in June. Interest in Egypt was 40% above average and stable with enquiries in June 2006.

Germany and Thailand 'increasingly popular'

Enquiries about German and Thai holiday accommodation were above the site average and higher than for the same period last year. The demand for German holiday homes currently outstrips the number of properties available to let by some way and therefore sends a promising message to those looking to invest there and offer short term lets.

With June being a mostly damp month in the UK the Balearic Islands proved to be the most popular location for those researching holidays in June; an ideal short haul escape to the sun, it attracted over 2,000 enquiries for the 400 advertised properties, double the site enquiry average for the month. Italy and America's East Coast also attracted above average enquiries. By comparison France drew numbers just below the average.

These figures are based on the volume of enquiries sent to one country and are relative to the number of properties advertised in that country. Whilst Spain received a below site average number of contacts per property, as a country it still attracted 27% of all booking enquiries in June and accounts for 29% of all properties on the site. France and the UK followed with 13% (13% and 11% of all properties respectively), Italy with 9% (8% of all properties).

“A number of conclusions can be drawn from these figures,” says Ross Elder. “It could be that increased awareness of the impact of travel on the environment is acting as a catalyst for people enquiring about holidaying in the UK, despite the weather. What we are also seeing is that as more and more people look to the Internet to find a holiday bargain, there is a mix of family favourite destinations and an increasing bravery to explore new locations such as Egypt and Morocco that were once dominated by hotels and travel packages or deemed accessible only to the wealthier amongst us.”