The Long Haul Holiday Index revealed the world’s most popular long haul beach destinations amongst British families.
The study was conducted in order to help families find their perfect beach break, and the glitzy destination of Dubai, which welcomes more than 1.5 million British holidaymakers to its shores each year – grabbed the top spot with an index score of 77.45.
The online travel agent compared 10 of its favorite long haul hot spots – Dubai, Cancun, Ras Al Khaimah, Dominican Republic, Phuket, Barbados, Cuba, Mauritius, Saint Lucia, and Antigua.
The research team at On the Beach looked at five key criteria that are amongst the most important to holidaymakers when choosing a destination, then combined and weighted the results to calculate an overall score out of 100 and position ranking.
The criteria included:
- Average temperature (October to March)
- Average sea temperature (October to March)
- Flight duration
- Number of attractions (water and amusement parks)
- The average cost of a one-week holiday (family of four)
Best value long haul destinations for families:
- Dubai: 77.45
- Cancun: 69.35
- Ras Al Khaimah: 63.35
- Phuket: 61.00
- Dominican Republic: 60.00
- Mauritius: 56.40
- Saint Lucia: 54.65
- Barbados: 54.10
- Cuba: 53.15
- Antigua: 48.65
Which long haul destinations are the warmest?
Brits love to be lying on the beach, cocktail in hand with the heat of the sun beating down around them, but there are some who’d rather be in comfortable temperatures of the early 20s. Whatever your weather, it’s important to know where suits you the best.
In first place for warm weather, Phuket boasts a scorching average temperature of 28°C, blowing pretty much every other candidate out of the water. So, if you’re looking for soft white sands and a heat that is certain to make you sweat, you know where to go. In close second, Saint Lucia sizzles with averages of 27°C, making it the hottest Caribbean Island on our list! It’s heating up in Ras Al Khaimah, Dominican Republic, Barbados and Antigua too, coming in as our joint third hottest long haul destinations. Averaging at 26°C each, there’s no wonder these are popular long haul beach break destinations.
Which long haul destinations have the warmest waters?
The sun may be shining, but we need a nice warm sea to dip into to really complete the perfect beach experience. From the Caribbean to the Andaman, lovers of the sea will know the importance of getting the right swimming temperature, which is why we did our research to find out the average sea temperatures of our long haul destinations.
Feeling more like a warm bath than a refreshing dip in the sea, Phuket’s waters take the top title boasting a sizzling average of 29°C. Not too far behind, Saint Lucia comes in second with an average of 28°C and the warm waters of Cancun, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Cuba (Havana) and Antigua take joint third place averaging at 27°C each.
Which long haul destinations are the easiest to fly to?
The UAE has hot heat, warm waters and even the speedy flight! Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah both score 16 out of 20 with average flight times of 6 hours 45 minutes (Dubai) and 7 hours (Ras Al Khaimah). With a flight score of 15, the Dominican Republic comes in at third with an average flight duration of 9 hours and 10 minutes, making it the quickest Caribbean nation on the list to get to.
