Brits Inspired by Holiday Hotspots With the X Factor!

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Oct 10, 2012, 12:01 ET

CHESTER, England, October 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Saturday's X Factor 'judges' houses' episode inspires British travellers to visit the stars' holiday hotspots
Tulisa Contostavlos proves most influential judge with 259 per cent rise in online holiday searches to St Lucia
Fans flock to Las Vegas as flight searches increase by 236 per cent following Louis' trip to sin city

Following this weekend's ITV1 X Factor episodes, which saw 25 acts singing for survival at the 'judges' houses' around the world, there has yet again been a surge in interest around the featured destinations according to TravelSupermarket.

For the second year running, Tulisa proved to be the most influential judge. This year's travel star drove a 259 per cent increase in package holiday searches to the Caribbean island of St Lucia, the biggest increase of the series. In 2011 the winning judge set a record 433 per cent increase in searches to her Greek Island destination of Mykonos.

Meanwhile, Louis Walsh's trip with the groups to the party town of Las Vegas drove a spike in flight searches of 236 per cent - over three times the interest that Nicole Scherzinger's visit to Dubai with the boys group sparked this year (a 76 per cent uplift in Dubai flight searches). Las Vegas proved to be a more popular choice for Louis than last year's, when his visit to Barcelona in Spain only saw an increase in searches of 22 per cent.

As well as flights, this year's online searches for package holidays to Las Vegas and Dubai also saw a significant boom - rising by 140 per cent and 88 per cent respectively.

Likely as a result of the weekend's dreary weather, TravelSupermarket didn't see a change in searches for Gary's UK destination at Boughton House in Northamptonshire, where he hosted the over 28s category.

TravelSupermarket compared the following searches on its site for this week versus last week* - before the weekend's much anticipated episodes - to determine which destination has the X Factor:

Package holiday searches:

St Lucia, The Caribbean (Tulisa Contosavlos) - uplift of 259 per cent
Las Vegas, USA (Louis Walsh) - uplift of 140 per cent
Dubai, UAE (Nicole Scherzinger) - uplift of 88 per cent

Flight searches:

Las Vegas, USA (Louis Walsh) - uplift of 236 per cent
Dubai, UAE (Nicole Scherzinger) - uplift of 76 per cent
St Lucia, The Caribbean (Tulisa Contosavlos) - uplift of 11 per cent

Bob Atkinson, travel expert at TravelSupermarket said: "Being inspired by TV and celebrities isn't a new trend. In fact, it is one of the biggest routes of inspiration for making holiday choices alongside recommendations from families and friends. And it is great to see such a high profile programme showcasing such exciting destinations for those who want to rest, shop or enjoy lively entertainment.

"With recent bad weather, it's no surprise people have been inspired by the sun of St Lucia, the bling of Dubai or the bright lights of Las Vegas, all of which offer a great solution for Brits for a holiday in the autumn and winter months.

"For those set on emulating their X Factor heroes, my advice is to shop around online to make sure they get the best price on their flight and hotel, or their package deal."

Notes to editors:

* Travelsupermarket compared searches from between 8pm on Saturday 29^th September to 12am (midnight) on Sunday 30 September to the same period the previous week.

About TravelSupermarket

TravelSupermarket is an online comparison service where customers can find the best value travel options for their needs and purchase over the internet. The website compares flights, car hire, hotels, cruise, package holidays plus dynamic packaging by searching hundreds of travel websites. The information supplied is unbiased and is designed to save the customer time and money.

The site thrives on offering its users accurate real time availability by taking information directly from suppliers such as Opodo, British Airways, Thomas Cook, First Choice, Radisson, Sol Melia, easyCar, Auto-Europe and many more, ensuring users are presented the best possible price at all times. It searches:

Over 650 scheduled, low cost and charter airlines from 39 individual suppliers
Over 200,000 individual hotels from over 42 individual hotel suppliers
Over 200 individual car hire providers from over 21 suppliers
1,000s of individual package holidays from over 34 suppliers

Additionally, TravelSupermarket also compares prices on travel insurance and on airport car parking.

TravelSupermarket is part of the Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC.

http://www.moneysupermarket.com is a website where consumers can compare personal finance products, save money and apply online. The website has several service areas including personal loans, credit cards, mortgages, current accounts, savings accounts, motor insurance, home insurance, travel insurance, health insurance, mobile phones, broadband and shopping.

For further press information contact:

Emma Morris
TravelSupermarket
[email protected]
+44(0)1244-220-671

SOURCE TravelSupermarket.com