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Last October, 25,000 searches were made across the UK for “Winter Holidays” and “Winter Sun Holidays” by people looking to escape the winter gloom.
Responding to this demand, Oak Tree Mobility has compiled a list of the best destinations for over 50s by assessing each country’s safety, median age, ‘bucket list’ activities, and average winter temperature.
Out of the 28 countries analysed, Portugal scored the most points for its high number of ‘bucket list’ activities, high median age, safety relative to other countries and high temperatures between November and February.
Germany came in second place – and while you might not get a lot of winter sun, the country has the second-highest number of world heritage sites and a high median age, making it a perfect winter getaway for over 50s.
Home to 58 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Italy came in third place as an ideal destination for those looking to tick the most off their bucket list.
The study found that half of Portugal’s population is above 44.6 years of age, suggesting that older travelers might find it more suited to their age group with more services and activities geared towards them. Other countries with higher median ages were Germany (47.8), Italy (46.5) and Greece (45.3).
The mobility specialists also assessed countries’ accessibility based on the percentage of hotels that are listed as wheelchair accessible on Tripadvisor.
With three in four Portugal hotels being listed as wheelchair accessible, the country also scores highly for travellers who have to consider mobility in their holiday plans. Spain (74 percent) and Poland (71 percent) also scored highly for accessibility.
Portugal is also ideal for travellers looking for higher winter temperatures, having an average temperature of 15°C from November to February. It comes in second after Cyprus, where the average temperature is 17°C – unfortunately, Cyprus came in as 24th place on best places for over 50s this winter. Greece had the third highest average temperature at 14°C.
When it comes to stunning areas of natural beauty or areas rich with historic or cultural significance, Italy was the undisputed winner, with 58 World Heritage Sites. Germany (51), Spain (49), and France (49) are also good destinations for travellers looking to soak up as much culture and heritage as possible. Portugal was 6th on this metric, with 17 World Heritage Sites.
Of the 28 countries assessed, Portugal is also the 4th safest according to the most recent Global Peace Index, which tracks the safety of countries across measures including crime and terrorism, as well as international relations.
On Tripadvisor, the Algarve region of Portugal, and particularly the coastal village of Alvor, was popular with tourists over 50.
About Alvor, user ‘PaulV66’ wrote: “My wife and I are in our 50s and we love it there. She has been over there with friends on a few occasions and they keep wanting to go back.”
Another user, ‘IrishDanny’ wrote: “My wife and I just returned from Alvor last week (59 and 67) it was one of the best vacations we have ever been on.”
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