In 2010, demand for holiday travel is on course for recovery, with Turkey this holiday season’s winner. The cruise market has also experienced significant growth while Italy and the Netherlands have suffered a drop in bookings.

These the latest findings of this year’s GfK tourism market panel, which examines European travel trends.

This year, particularly in Germany and the UK, Europe’s two largest source markets, demand for holiday travel has returned to normal and after two years of declining bookings it is showing clear signs of recovery. In 2010 Egypt and Turkey are Germans’ and Britons’ most preferred holiday destinations.

As far as booking patterns are concerned there are marked differences between individual consumer groups. For example, families are much more cautious when planning their holidays. Bookings for this group (-2%) are currently well below the market average .

Once again Turkey is in the forefront of the popularity stakes. In terms of market share, it ranks second behind Spain in the top ten, with Greece in third place. But whereas year-on-year figures show a decline for both Spain and Greece, the Turkish travel market continues to grow. In 2010 Egypt remains popular with Germans, Britons and the Dutch, and this summer has climbed in the top ten rankings for holiday destinations.

Cruises have picked up substantially ahead of this year’s holiday season and are significantly expanding their share of the market. Particularly in Italy and the UK bookings for cruises are above average, and the market signs are positive.

However, ahead of this year’s holiday season and in the current economic climate consumers are again showing restraint. In Germany, the UK, Italy, France and the Netherlands more and more people are booking travel at short notice, up to a month before going on holiday.

Despite 9% more Germans making last-minute bookings last year, compared with holidaymakers from other nations they consistently book their vacations earliest. Only 7.4% of bookings are classified as “last minute”.