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Bulgaria and Greece highlights of Thomson and First Choice 2018 programmes

Expansion into the eastern European budget destination of Bulgaria and new hotels in Greece are among the highlights of the Thomson and First Choice summer 2018 programme.

More multi-centre holidays with itineraries to Costa Rica, Croatia and the Caribbean are featured together with new self-drive options from Florida to New Orleans and Nashville.

Holidays for next summer, which go on sale today (Thursday), will be served by increased Thomson Airways flight capacity from airports including Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol.

The Tui UK & Ireland operators will start flying to the Bulgarian Black Sea port city of Varna in May 2018 for access to the beach resort of Golden Sands.

Two weekly flights will run from Gatwick and Manchester with accommodation choices including First Choice’s new 3Sun all-inclusive SuneoClub hotel Odessos in Golden Sands.

The 11th Sensatori resort opens in Rhodes, 20km from Lindos, while an adults-only Sensimar hotel opens in Halkidiki.

The US self-drive packages include flights, car hire and pre-booked hotels. The operator claims this will be the first time consumers will be able to book the entire package of flights, cars and hotels in one go online with any travel brand in the UK.

Also new for Florida are further fly-drive itineraries and additional beach resorts, such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach.

Thomson will also be offering an increased programme of multi-centre holidays which includes new short, mid and long haul destinations giving wider choice and flexibility to ‘microadventurers’ wanting to combine different destinations.

Tui Explorer, the latest ship to the Thomson Cruises’ fleet, will be based in Palma from May next year, joining the recently introduced Tui Discovery and Tui Discovery 2 in offering all inclusive as standard.

Tui Discovery will homeport in both Newcastle and Southampton for summer 2018, offering itineraries from the UK to the Norwegian fjords, the Baltics and Iceland, while TUI Discovery 2 will sail from Corfu for the first time.

Thomson Celebration will be based in Dubrovnik and Thomson Celebration in Palma. Fifteen new ports of call are being introduced across the fleet, including Monaco, Ancona and Skiathos.

New 10 and 11-night holidays are being offered from Manchester, Gatwick and Bristol airports to destinations including Split and Dubrovnik in Croatia and Sardinia.

Norwich airport will offer flights to Crete while a new route will operate from Aberdeen to Costa Dorada.

Thomson Airways’ first long haul route from Bristol airport will see Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic plus new 10 and 11-night breaks to Bulgaria and Dubrovnik.

Thomson and First Choice product director, Mark Hall, said: “We know that our customers are looking for new and exciting holidays for summer 2018 so our focus is on expanding our mid-haul programme to include more choice of destination.

“New hotspot, Varna, offers customers something a little different for their break, with the perfect balance between culture and relaxation.

“I’m also delighted that we are continuing the expansion of our luxury Tui Sensatori collection with our new addition in Rhodes and building on our extensive range of holiday types in Florida, giving families, couples and friends more unique holiday options to choose from.

“With the wide variety of choice available in the most sought-after destinations, enjoying the perfect holiday has never been easier.”

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