Happiness of the long-distance traveller as the sun goes down on the fly and flop holiday

Simon Calder in Istanbul hears that cheaper flights are hitting traditional tourist resorts

British tourists are turning their backs on the beaches, particularly among Mediterranean holiday resorts. Travel agents were told yesterday that one million fewer "fly and flop" European beach holidays were sold this summer. Greece, Malta and Cyprus are suffering especially, compared with more exotic destinations. Among skiers, France and Austria are being overhauled as the most popular winter sports destinations by Italy.

The Istanbul convention of the Association of British Travel Agents heard that holidaymakers are extending their horizons dramatically. The market research organisation, Stats MR, says United Kingdom visitors to Mexico have more than trebled over the past year, and bookings for next year are already twice as high again. In contrast, Cyprus lost one in five British holidaymakers last winter and is 11 per cent down on bookings for the coming winter.

Recent violence on the Green Line separating the Republic from the self- styled Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus may have contributed to the decline. But Len Mooney of the tour operator, Sunworld, said the trend towards long-haul travel is responsible: "Cyprus is suffering from cheaper long-haul holidays, particularly in the Caribbean."

Price remains the prime concern of British tourists. The only leading destination to buck the trend of a declining package holiday market this summer was Turkey. It added 15 per cent in visitor numbers, compared with a fall of 24 per cent for Greece. This week, Turkey was revealed to be the cheapest of all 20 OECD countries for tourists, with the cost of holidaymaking just after that of the UK. The local currency is so weak that British visitors can become lira millionaires simply by changing pounds 6.50.

Among skiers, price is also crucial. Bookings for the coming winter show Italy ahead of the traditional destinations, France and Austria. Bulgaria is performing strongly - with nearly double the number of bookings compared with last year - while Switzerland has lost almost half its market share.

Overall, numbers of winter sports holidays are a quarter lower than at the peak eight years ago, but Kevin Ivie of First Choice said the decline has now reversed: "Snow-boarding has helped to bring young people into the market."

Travellers' perceptions of risk have affected some parts of the world significantly. Florida has not yet recovered from the spate of attacks on tourists three years ago. Southern and Eastern Africa lost one in eight British visitors mostly because of a decline in tourism to Kenya. Conversely, India appears once again to be perceived as "safe", with an increase of 42 per cent in the past year.

One tour operator warned of the dangers of trying to cash in on the rise of exotic holidays. Roger Heape of British Airways Holidays said: "Don't trash the market - don't do what you did to the short-haul market." The travel industry got a taste of its own medicine after the convention closed yesterday. Several delegates turned up at Istanbul airport to find the British Airways flight to Heathrow was overbooked.