Money latest: Secret low-cost winter holiday destinations (including best Canary Island) revealed by experts

By Brad Young, from the Money team

January and February are often the cheapest times of year to go on holiday, according to the Association of British Travel Agents. 

Lower demand results in cheaper plane tickets and hotel bookings, whether that means escaping the British wintertime for sunnier places or embracing the ski season abroad. 

And with energy costs remaining high, spending time away from home when you would usually be paying to heat it can make more financial sense than travelling in the summer. 

Sky News has spoken with travel experts Sean Tipton, from ABTA, and David Child, from Thomas Cook, about what locations holidaymakers can get value for money. 

Both experts recommended Spain, with Malaga’s 17C winter an “ideal time to go away”, according to Mr Tipton. 

“It’s actually a very sensible time to go and it is cheap,” he says, “with the added benefit of escaping the most depressing time of the year”.

Alternatively, Costa Brava can be a third less than Majorca or the Canary Islands, Mr Child adds. 

“The cliché destination for winter sun at that time of year is the Canary Islands – it’s actually their peak months,” Mr Tipton says. 

But if you are going to head to the islands, try La Gomera, which is less popular, less expensive and great for nature lovers, he recommends. 

North African countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco can also provide some affordable respite for sun lovers, Mr Child says. 

He recommended the city of Agadir in Morocco as “especially good value” because it’s less well known than Marrakesh, while offering a coastline and some “really good beach resorts” around Taghazout. 

“There are places where you can get really cheap holidays in the winter that are popular in the summer, so they’ve got all the infrastructure – the restaurants and the bars, great hotels.

“If the money you’re saving on the heating bills at home offsets the cost of the holiday, then even better.”

Skiing 

If you’re not fussed about soaking up the rays, Mr Tipton says northern Spain is “a bit of an undiscovered secret for British holidaymakers”. 

“It offers very good value compared to the more traditional resorts in France and Switzerland.”

Skiers should also look into Bulgaria “if you’ve got young kids who haven’t been skiing before”. 

Andorra is “good value” and eastern European countries, such as Poland, also have “very good ski resorts”.

Further afield 

“We’re also seeing people heading further afield – long haul places that are perhaps a bit cheaper when you get there,” Mr Child says. 

Bali, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Goa in southern India are places he thinks the pound will go further. 

Mr Tipton says: “I’d strongly recommend South Africa. Again, the flights are not going to be that cheap, but it’s incredibly good value once you get there.”