Door2Tour.com has reported its sales figures for January compared to the same month in 2012 have shown a 54.5% increase in European breaks, with Italy, Germany and France proving to be popular destinations for escorted tours in 2013.

Rachel Jones, Online PR & Marketing Co-ordinator of Door2Tour.com, said: “Since the New Year we have noticed that more and more of our customers are opting for a European break for their annual holiday. One of the main reasons for this increase could be because of the washout summer we experienced in 2012 with customers looking to escape the dismal UK weather for some guaranteed sunshine during their annual holiday.”

European escorted tours are one of the most convenient ways of enjoying the varied sites that Europe has to offer, from the Colosseum in Rome to Notre Dame in Paris, or the mighty River Rhine in Germany. For one great-value price, customers can sit back and enjoy the view knowing that all their coach travel, accommodation, meals and excursions are included so they only need to think about how much spending money they need for those holiday souvenirs. Coach travel is also much friendlier to the environment than holidaying by air which will appeal to those wishing to reduce their carbon footprint.

The range of European holidays available to customers varies from bustling city breaks to relaxing river cruises and coastal retreats. European breaks appear to be rather popular for couples with many choosing to whisk their special someone off on a city break and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Paris is a hot favourite for romance as is Bruges and Prague. Large groups of people are also choosing to holiday together, especially different generations of the same family, with the Italian Riviera proving a popular holiday choice as well as the South of France.

To make the pound stretch even further, there are a variety of new European tours being released in the 2013 holiday programme and these include a variety of the popular “All Inclusive” breaks to favourite destinations such as Ostend, Bruges, Amsterdam, The Rhine Valley, The Black Forest or The Austrian Lakes and Mountains to name but a few.

Rachel concluded: “We’ve found that the majority of our customers work really hard throughout the year, saving up for their annual summer holiday, the last thing they want is to experience another wet summer like they did in 2012. They hope that by escaping to warmer climes such as the South of France or Italy, they will get at least some sun during their 2 week break - here’s hoping anyway!”