09 July 2007 Cheap air-fares 'encourage US flights more than exchange rate'
While many commentators have pointed towards the beneficial exchange rate for holidaymakers buying dollars this year, a low-cost airline has claimed that budget flights and discounted fares are in fact more important in boosting travel to the US.
Zoom Airlines reports that the cost of flights to New York is getting lower, becoming almost comparable to trips to European destinations, which may explain why trips to the city are on the increase while Florida is struggling to attract British tourists.
Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of the company, said: "What we're seeing is that perhaps people who would have taken a short-haul break and maybe gone to Venice or Rome or something are now going to New York because they can do it for not a dissimilar price."
He added that while the strength of the pound against the dollar certainly helps promote tourism to the country, the preferential pricing of flights and route promotion are playing a key role, with it difficult to isolate these and other factors.
In July 2005, Virgin Money reported on the increasing popularity of city breaks, with 12 per cent of Britons opting for such a holiday that year.
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