Package Holidays Undergo a Makeover!

Some package holiday destinations are undergoing an image makeover in a bid to shake off negative perceptions.

Benidorm
People who have never been love to knock the largest beach resort in Europe, and their prejudices may have been reinforced by the comedy TV series Benidorm starring Johnny Vegas. But the Benidorm Tourist Board says bookings have been boosted by the series and visitors have seen major re-investment encouraging them to return time after time.

The Costa Blanca resort appeals mainly to families in summer and older clients at other times. It attracts about 1.5 million Brits every year – and the Spanish come in even larger numbers.

Benidorm’s two main beaches, Levante and Poniente, are kept very clean and are floodlit at night. Most of the seafront is pedestrianised. Major investment in theme parks has created Terra Mitica. Aqualandia, Terra Natura and Mundomar.

The most recent developments are two new five-star hotels, and golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus. The Hotel Barcelo Asia Gardens was opened in July 2008 wit Balinese architecture and the Villaitana resort is in the Sierra Cortina hills above Benidorm.

Despite the high-rise, Benidorm was planned carefully. There’s even a proposal it should be nominated as a World Heritage Site to represent the mass tourism industry.

Magaluf
This resort in the Bay of Palma in Majorca is synonymous with cheap package holidays and bar crawls, and attracts mainly families and young people on a budget. A 20-mile promenade now links the main resorts in the Calvia region, which include Magaluf, Palma Nova, Santa Ponsa, Pegurea, Illetas and Portals Nous.

The FTO, now merged with ABTA, is working with the Calvia region on its Travelife Sustainability System. This encourages hotels to respect the environment and involve local people as much as possible. Chris Thompson, the FTO’s head of responsible tourism, says: “We are hoping that Majorca will become the flagship Travelife destination and pave the way for the introduction of the system throughout the Balearics and mainland Spain. This will send a clear message to popular destinations everywhere that we want to introduce the Travelife Sustainability System as the tool of choice for British operators.

Torremolinos
The Costa del Sol is now heavily urbanised all the way from Malaga to Marbella, but its largest mass-market resort has improved its facilities and positioned itself as the gateway to the region. Most hotels have been refurbished and example being the four-star Cervantes which has a new rooftop swimming pool which is covered in winter.

A new promenade, direct rail link from Malaga airport and a new lift linking the resort centre to the beach make Torremolinos more appealing. With the help of the Andalucian Tourist Board, Torremolinos is heavily promoted as a great base to see places of interest such as Granada and Seville, or to play golf.

As it is close to the airport and only a short flight from the UK it is appealing for the elderly during the winter and families in the summer.

Malta
Malta has a limited number of sandy beaches to attract families and the generation who served here during the Second World War has died off, meaning the island had to diversify. It’s largest resort, Sliema, has built a promenade and is a good base for sightseeing in nearby Valletta, the capital.

The major developments are close to Sliema in St Julian’s, Paceville and St Georges Bay, where most of the hotels are five-star. Paceville is the top spot for nightlife in Malta, while St Julian’s still has a fishing fleet despite major hotel development. St Georges Bay is quieter but with easy access to nightlife.

St Julian’s has had a lot of investment in the past 10 years, and St Georges Bay has had a major overhaul with the creation of its own sandy beach. These resorts now appeal to a broader base of people looking for a more cosmopolitan feel.

Golden Sands
Bulgaria’s main beach resorts were built by the Communist regime in the 1960’s with ugly concrete blocks designed for workers’ holidays. Many of the ugly blocks remain in Golden Sands and Sunny Beach, but otherwise these resorts have been transformed.

The beach at Golden Sands is beautiful and it now has some of the finest hotels in the region, such as the Melia Hermitage, a huge five-star hotel with every facility you could dream of.

Recently a new water park was built, the Aquapolis. New golf courses are also a significant addition to tourism in Bulgaria. Quality is now on a par with Mediterranean resorts, at much lower prices. Bulgaria should sell out this year because of high prices in the eurozone.

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