These good-value destinations, from Cyprus to Morocco, offer an alternative to Schengen Area hotspots
With the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) causing airport queues of up to six hours at pinch points in Europe, Britons are searching further afield for a hassle-free break with sun and a smaller price tag.
Many holidaymakers are looking to North Africa and the Middle East. Chris Logan, commercial director for Tui UK & Ireland, says that bookings for Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt are on the rise. “Early indications show that North Africa is doing really well this year, driven by the great value for money those destinations offer,” he explains.
Likewise, tour operator Explore Worldwide reported a 100 per cent increase in bookings to Tunisia, Egypt and Oman in 2025.
From Oman’s empty desert sands to Morocco’s Atlantic beaches, here are the destinations where you can escape Brexit hassles and find warmth in 2026.
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Tunisia
In June 2015, Tunisia’s then-booming tourist sector was devastated following a terror attack on a Sousse beach. In 2014, 425,000 British holidaymakers visited Tunisia. This dropped to 208,000 in 2015 and 23,500 in 2016. It has taken a decade for Britons to return in the same numbers, but in 2025, the promise of sunshine and low prices attracted nearly 450,000 British holidaymakers – a 37 per cent increase compared with 2024.
“Tunisia continues to prove itself as a standout winter-sun destination for British holidaymakers, combining warmth, culture and excellent value,” says Nicholas Smith, holidays digital director at Thomas Cook. “Tunisia was named our best-value winter-sun destination in 2025, and that accolade still holds today.”
According to Smith, Tunisia consistently has the lowest average booking values (the average amount paid for a holiday) across Thomas Cook’s winter-sun destinations.
Smith suggests beach lovers head to Hammamet, where resorts line the Mediterranean coastline and wineries on the nearby Cape Bon Peninsula offer a taste of Tunisia’s 2,000-year-old viticulture.
Further south, Sousse is Tunisia’s real comeback destination. With sandy beaches fronting all-inclusive resorts, you can soak up winter sun before day-tripping to the Roman ruins of El Jem’s remarkable amphitheatre or into the shifting sands of the Sahara.
UK passport holders can enter Tunisia visa-free for 90 days. Thomas Cook offers a week’s all-inclusive at the four-star Marhaba Club in Sousse from £277pp, including return flights departing Luton on 22 February.
Morocco
The beaches of Tetouan in Morocco (Photo: jaouad.K/iStock Editorial/Getty)
This is North Africa’s most successful tourism story. In 2025, the Moroccan National Tourist Office announced a record 19.8 million visitors – a 14 per cent increase on 2024. The tourism industry has been recovering following the devastating earthquake of September 2023.
Morocco’s ambitious target of 26 million tourists by 2030 (when it co-hosts the Fifa World Cup) might leave Britons wondering whether they’ve missed the moment, but don’t worry, because lesser-known cities such as Rabat and Tétouan are taking centre stage in 2026.
Royal Air Maroc is transforming the Mediterranean city of Tétouan into a hub with the launch of direct flights to European capitals from 27 March, including twice weekly from Gatwick.
Explore Tétouan’s Unesco World Heritage-listed medina, where medieval alleyways and whitewashed houses form one of the best examples of Islamic-Andalucian architecture in Morocco. Nearby, Martil Beach and Tamuda Bay offer sweeping Mediterranean views.
Another emerging Moroccan destination is Rabat, which, surprisingly for a capital city, has remained off the tourist radar. That’s set to change, with British Airways having launched a twice-weekly service from Gatwick in November, and Unesco designating this ancient city, home to the colourful Kasbah des Oudaias and the historic Royal Palace of Rabat, as 2026’s World Book Capital.
Royal Air Maroc will fly from Gatwick to Tétouan from £236 return. One Thousand and One Nights Riad has colourful and traditional lodgings in Tétouan’s medina (B&B from £40) or splash out on a beachside stay at the Sofitel Tamuda Bay Beach & Spa (doubles from £134).
In Rabat, Riad Sidi Fatah, in the heart of the medina and a 10-minute walk from the sea, has doubles from £85.
Egypt
The Grand Egyptian Museum is displaying the country’s most famous antiquities (Photo: Mohamed Elshahed/Anadolu/Getty)
Egypt’s tourism economy has been affected by regional conflict since 2023, but visitor numbers are now on the rise. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported a record 19 million international arrivals in 2025 – a 21 per cent increase on 2024.
Catering to increased British demand, Jet2 will launch the Red Sea beach resorts of Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada as its newest destinations for next year.
Meanwhile, Tui has announced Cairo as its newest city break destination with flights from Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester delivering visitors to explore the pyramids at Giza, the monumental new Grand Egyptian Museum and more.
Tui’s commercial director, Chris Logan, said, “Egypt is one of the best-value winter sun destinations. You get brilliant hotels, unforgettable experiences and fantastic value for money, especially during the winter months.”
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The tour operator’s beach breaks will take you to Marsa Alam, Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, where you can snorkel among the Red Sea corals of Ras Mohammed National Park or lounge on Naama Bay’s white sand beach.
In Hurghada, you will find even more world-class snorkelling and diving at offshore spots such as Giftun Island, a short boat ride from the beach resorts. Tui has a week’s all-inclusive at Coral Sea Aqua Club in Sharm el Sheikh from £876pp in March, including flights from Luton.
Egypt offers far more than its Red Sea coastline, and tour company Wild Frontiers reports a 60 per cent increase in bookings. Clare Tobin, Wild Frontier’s chief executive, highlights the long-awaited full opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo last November (Tutankhamun’s tomb is displayed in full for the first time), and the desire of many to follow in the footsteps of Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile. Wild Frontiers’ nine-day Highlights of Ancient Egypt Tour starts from £2,850pp, excluding flights.
Oman
The dramatic cliffs of Oman (Photo: Eval/iStockphoto/Getty)
Regional conflicts have caused declining visitor numbers in many Middle Eastern destinations, notably Jordan. Oman, however, is bucking this trend, with Explore Worldwide reporting a 101 per cent booking increase last year.
“Oman is effortlessly welcoming and wonderfully diverse,” says Valentina Chironna, Explore Worldwide’s Middle East product manager. “From the bustling hubs of Muscat and the blue coast at Fins Beach, to the fiery red dunes of the Wahiba Sands and the dramatic canyon of Jebel Sham, there is an incredible range of experiences on offer.”
Chironna highlights Oman’s authentic Arabian experiences – something lost in neighbouring metropolises such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Qatar – as one of its biggest draws.
She recommends bartering with locals in Nizwa souk, supporting women’s sewing co-operatives in Muscat, and exploring the centuries-old mud-brick buildings found in traditional mountain villages such as Al Hamra.
Britons can enter Oman visa-free for up to 14 days, leaving plenty of time for Explore Worldwide’s nine-day-long Mountains, Deserts and Coast of Oman trip, from £2,234pp, excluding flights.
Turkey
Roman ruins in Side in the Manavgat district of Antalya, Turkey
Despite enduring an ongoing currency crisis, Turkey’s popularity among Britons persists. The latest figures show 4.4 million British tourists visited in 2024 – a 16 per cent rise on 2023. The lack of red tape should ensure this trend continues, with Britons enjoying 90 days of visa-free travel.
Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, where Greek and Roman ruins line Mediterranean shores, draws the bulk of British crowds.
“Turkey is proving to be very popular, with Antalya seeing particularly strong bookings,” says Tony Hopkins, easyJet Holidays’ trading and development director. “Turkey is also a firm favourite among families, with almost a third more free kids’ places booked this year versus last year.”
In Antalya, Roman relics such as Hadrian’s Gate are within walking distance of the 7km-long Konyaaltı Beach Promenade. Tui is banking on the Turquoise Coast being a long-term hit. In April, it is opening the adults-only Tui Blue Maviss, which is on the beachfront close to the quieter resort town of Side, where you can explore Greco-Roman temples and a 2nd century AD amphitheatre.
EasyJet Holidays offers a week at the Crowne Plaza Antalya from £416pp for a king room, room only, including flights from Gatwick.
Tui offers a seven-night all-inclusive at the Tui Blue Maviss from £871pp, including flights.
For those who prefer to travel independently, Han Apart Hotel Side is a five-minute walk from the beach and around 20 minutes’ walk from the city centre and has two-bedroom apartments for £86 in April.
Cyprus
Agios Nicolas in the city of Protaras (Photo: AlexSava/E+/RG&B Images/Getty)
This Mediterranean island is in the European Union, but not in Schengen, so EES won’t affect arriving Britons. Fewer border formalities mean more time for the beach, and with temperatures reaching highs of 25°C by April, Cyprus’ Mediterranean climate is attracting UK travellers.
“Cyprus is an increasingly popular, value-driven destination,” says Kerry Briers, a travel agent and Cyprus expert at SPL Villas. “Year-on-year, villa bookings to Cyprus over the Easter holidays have almost doubled.”
Briers says searches for Cyprus as a destination on the SPL Villas website are up by 62 per cent, suggesting high demand for Cypriot villa holidays. Briers has four favoured hot spots she loves sending customers to: Latchi and Paphos on the west side, and Protaras and Nissi Beach on the east. The average price for a week’s villa holiday in March or April is around £500 less than a similar villa in Rhodes, Greece.
Just as the Greek goddess Aphrodite is said to have fallen in love with Adonis in Latchi, you will no doubt quickly fall for the town’s picturesque harbour and sandy, mile-long beach, while nearby, hiking trails weave through the forests of Akamas National Park. Nissi Beach is home to glorious white sands, close to Ayia Napa, but far enough away to escape the crowds. But it is Protaras that takes top spot for Briers.
“With shallow, calm waters, Protaras is very safe for young children and far more relaxed than some of the party-heavy destinations on the island,” she says, adding that the resort, where Fig Tree Beach’s white sands lead down to turquoise waters, has been SPL Villas’ most popular family destination this year. “It’s also walkable, so there is no need to rely on public transport or bother with car rentals.”
You can book Villa Myrianthe in Protaras from £988 in the school Easter holidays, room only. Return flights from the UK to Paphos start from around £50.