Students from across the north are set to jet off in the coming days for A-Level results holidays with Portugal and Greece among the preferred destinations this year.
Julie Anne Vaughan from Oasis Travel said this year has seen three destinations take the most popular crown for youngsters jetting off.
“In terms of what we are seeing this year, Albufeira is definitely number one when it comes to students jetting off after the results,” she said.
“Next up on the list would probably be the Greek island of Kavos. We actually had a group of girls heading off there today just after the results were out.
“Another very popular destination that we are seeing this year for A-Level results students this year is Zante, it has been very popular this year.”
Zante, the shorthand name for the Greek island of Zakynthos, is still proving popular despite wildfires hitting the island in recent days.
Local media reports say that the conditions are challenging but that the infernos have been confined to the west of the holiday hotspot, a significant distance from the areas popular with tourists.
The UK foreign office has not released any warnings for the island and conditions are thought to be safe in tourist areas.
When the Irish News spoke to staff at the Shamrock Irish pub on the island on Thursday, they confirmed that business was operating as normal and that many Irish holidaymakers were visiting the island and were in celebratory form.
However, it isn’t just the usual holiday hotspots that are attracting this year’s A-Level results students.
“Two other trends we have seen is that a lot of groups of girls are going to Santorini because they really want to get the pictures of the domed houses for Instagram.
“And perhaps surprisingly, we have actually had a few groups of both genders who are going on city breaks. We had one group of lads in who booked a city break to Krakow. So that is a bit different too.”
Speaking about the reasons why young people were choosing this year’s hotspots as their preferred holiday destination, Ms Vaughan said the formula was quite simple.
“Well for young people it’s obviously the nightlife, the entertainment, the beautiful beaches, and those three places tick all the boxes for what they’re looking for, whether that is to celebrate their results or otherwise. They are also looking for places that are quite affordable.” she said.
“Albufeira has always been known for its music bars and all that and Zante is big because there is now a direct flight from Belfast.”
However, she noted that there was one former favourite that was excluded from this year’s list.
“It was quite strange that no one had any groups going to Ibiza, so it sort of seems to have gone down in popularity. I’m not sure why but it just didn’t seem to make it this year,” she added.