World Conflicts Costs Turkish Tourism Dear

Over recent years more holiday companies have been extending their range of destinations to choose from, and Turkey has become a vacation favourite recently as prices have been low - but so far this year the number of bookings has gone decidely downwards.

Part of this is down to prices. Turkey benefitted from being deemed among the new low cost destinations for a family holiday - but last year as a Post Office Travel Services survey showed, prices have been rising while Spain and Portugal had dropped theirs.

Is it the economy that has seen Turkey experiencing a drop in bookings? Given the number of job losses in the UK's public sector which employs six million people and nervousness about future prospects for many it could be a factor, but doesn't explain why bookings for Malta holidays for example haven't had similar drop.

But the reason why bookings are down more for Turkey than destinations like Malta is more likely to be down to politics, and what is happening in the world, coupled with Turkey's geographical location.

For many potential tourists, Turkey is a little too close to home to the current political upheaval happening In countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, and while the country has an already established parliamentary system the thought that Malta holidays could be a safer bet is widespread.

And perhaps any apprehension about taking a trip there is reinforced when potential tourists get an atlas out - countries that have a border with Turkey, although they may be a long way from the popular resorts, include Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Georgia and Iran.

But for families who decide to opt to take Malta flights, what can they expect to find if they haven't visited before?

The main areas where most tourists head for are Valletta the capital, mainly for sightseeing, Sliema is popular among those who want a second home and buy Malta properties, St Paul's, St Julian's - mainly for the younger generations - and Mellieha which has a good sandy beach and is good for holidays in Malta for families.

Turkey is best known for summer holidays, while the weather in Malta allows it to be marketed as a year round destination. It can be just as hot as Turkey in the peak summer months of July and August, but outside these months Malta normally has a climate that is ideal for a break.

There could be a lot of bargains this summer for those who haven't booked their holidays yet, with a lot of those late deals being for Turkey as the amount of bookings has dropped so much in comparison to other destinations. At the moment for example well over half of the late deals being offered by Thomson Holidays are for Turkish resorts.

And in a recently released report, Thomson's main competitor Thomas Cook Holidays who have the same amount of trips to sell as last year have so far only sold just over half - watch out for some great deals from both of these reliable companies in the near future.

As the region remains volatile in people's minds, it could be late package vacations for Malta that more will be booking.