Sharm el-Shiekh is the big hit of the winter holiday season

Flights to Sharm el-Sheikh and hotels in the Red Sea resort for winter 2006 have been booked more often than other locations in the last six months, reports web travel agency www.holidays-direct.co.uk

The most popular winter sun holiday destinations are:

Sharm el-Sheikh
Portugal / the Algarve
Tunisia
Tenerife
Benidorm
Lanzarote

Holidaymakers are attracted to the Sharm el-Sheikh area because of the perfect winter climate and high quality of the resort hotels.

The Red Sea is very popular for family holidays as well as being one of the best-regarded diving locations in the world.

Jon Pearce of www.holidays-direct.co.uk says: “Holidays in Sharm el-Sheikh offer great value for money for families who want to stay somewhere warm and exotic, but not break the bank.”

“There are more cheap deals to Egypt on offer than in previous years and it’s a relatively short flight to Sharm from the UK airports, making it popular for people travelling with young children.”

“Most of the hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh are well-equipped, self-contained resorts, which is especially reassuring to holidaymakers who are concerned about safety and ways to keep children entertained while on holiday.”

Portugal has long been a popular winter sun holiday choice, especially for couples looking for relaxing breaks.

Tunisia is also benefiting from the extra availability of no-frills flights to north Africa. Like Egypt, visitors to Tunisia can enjoy an exotic holiday at great value for money.

Of all countries with strong tourism links to the UK, Tenerife and Lanzarote have two of the best winter climates. A wide choice of self-catering and all-inclusive packages in the Canaries is on offer. Both Lanzarote and Tenerife can be flown to from airports across the UK.

Benidorm perhaps offers the most sensational value for holidaymakers this winter, with cheap flights to the Costa Blanca consistently at low prices.

Tallinn is the runaway top choice for hen and stag weekends in Europe.

www.holidays-direct.co.uk is an online travel agency and web resource for people researching and booking flights and hotels in all the most popular locations around the world.

www.holidays-direct.co.uk is a member of the Midlands Co-operative Society.