Cancun in Mexico is expected to be a favourite for 2006, having cleaned up its beaches since the 2004 tsunami, and South Africa remains a firm favourite. Dubai bounces in as a new favourite this year and the States continues to exert a pull for Irish holidaymakers, with American Holidays offering a wide range of packages focusing on Florida, and Panorama entering the market for the first time. Many city and short break holidays are now booked on line and package holidays are following suit. The website, www. myholiday. ie, links all major Irish tour operators.

Africa South Africa has shown a huge growth in popularity over the past few years and features in many tour operators' brochures for 2006.

You can enjoy five nights in Cape Town, a four-night drive along the Garden Route, and three nights' full board at a Safari Lodge for 1,795 pp plus tax with Travel Focus, 021 425 1027 www. travelfocus. ie. Other specialists include Slattery's Sun, 1850 673 673 www. southafrica. ie, Sunway 01 288 6288 www. sunway. ie, John Galligan 01 207 6555 www. jgt. ie With Sunway, you could try exotic Zanzibar, a group of small islands off the Tanzanian coast. Flights and a week's B&B in a seafront hotel in the historic centre of Stone Town costs 1,335. Built by Arab and Indian merchants in the 19th century from the island's coral stone, Stone Town is a maze of narrow alleys with carved wooden doors, ornate balconies, and the scent of spices in the air.

India Goa and Kerala, states on the south west coast of India bordering the Arabian Sea, have been earning hearty word-of-mouth endorsements from Irish travellers. There are no direct charters and the usual route is via London Heathrow. Again, you really feel you're somewhere different, and costs once you get there are low. Sunway offers tours and beach holidays in Goa and Kerala, or you could try www. eholidaysindia. com. Goa is known for its beautiful beaches, colonial architecture and relaxed lifestyle. Kerala has palmlined beaches, steamy jungles and tropical rivers and lakes. The Sunway tour takes you through the south west coast of India, taking in Cochin, tea plantations, spice gardens, lazy backwaters and wildlife reserves, finishing up with four nights in a beach resort.

Dubai World's tallest building, world's biggest shopping mall . . . these are the boasts of Dubai, with much of it currently under construction. Dubai is actively promoting itself to the Irish market and is expected to take a leap in popularity this year. Five stars for five nights costs around 1,000 per person. Independent travellers can make use of the new Aer Lingus direct flight from Dublin which kicks in at the end of March. An all-year-round destination, Dubai has been described as the Middle East meets Hong Kong with a little Las Vegas thrown in. Dubai's thriving tourist industry is based on sunshine, a clean and safe environment, bargain shopping, good sporting facilities, beautiful uncrowded beaches and Arabian hospitality.

Tropical Places 01 433 1029 www. tropicalplaces. ie; United Travel 01 215 9300 www. unitedtravel. ie; Sunway www. sunway. ie, 01 2886828; Twohigs 01 648 0800, www. twohigs. com; John Galligan 01 207 6555 www. jgt. ie; Abbey Travel www. abbeytravel. ie, 01 8047100; Aer Lingus from 28 March.

Mexico Tropical Places put Mexico top of their list of popular destinations for 2005 and expect an even better season for 2006. They have summer charters to Cancun, costing 950 for three star accommodation for seven nights.

Mexico's calling card to the world, Cancun showcases the country's natural beauty and its 1,000-year history. In 1974 a team of Mexican government computer analysts picked Cancun for tourism development for its ideal mix of elements to attract visitors. It is actually an island, a 24km long sliver of land connected to the mainland by two bridges.

Cancun has become something of a megaresort, with high-quality accommodation, great beaches, easy air access, and a wide diversity of shopping, dining, nightlife, and nearby activities . . . most of them exceptional value. There is also the lure of ancient cultures and ecologically oriented theme parks.

Snorkelling, jet-skiing, jungle tours, and visits to ancient Maya ruins are also popular.

Hotel pools can be so spectacular that tourists miss out altogether on the brilliant fine white sand and warm ocean that put Cancun on the map. Tropical Places, 01 433 1029 www. tropicalplaces. ie Montenegro The Irish love affair with this historically troubled area of south-east Europe continues unabated, thanks to its undeveloped beaches and towns, low prices, and friendly people.

Sunway are adding Montenegro to their brochure for 2006, flying into Dubrovnik in Croatia, its northern neighbour. Topflight (www. topflight. ie, 01 2401700) are also offering Montenegro for the first time this year. The small republic has 117 beaches along its 300km Adriatic coastline. Concorde Travel (www. concordetravel. ie, 01 8727222) also offer goodvalue holidays to Montenegro.

Croatia Longer established with Irish holidaymakers than Montenegro, Croatia continues to pull the crowds. For 2006, Concorde Travel has added Istria to its list of locations and the Istrian Riviera also features under the Topflight banner. Situated in the north of Croatia and close to the Italian and Slovenian borders, Istria is a large peninsula with plenty of natural coves, bays, islands and clean waters. A warm sea and air temperature and a diverse range of accommodation make it an ideal summer destination. If you tire of the old harbour towns, beaches and pine forests, you can take a trip across the peninsula to visit Venice. Other Croatian options from Joe Walsh Tours, 01 241 0800, joewalshtours. ie;

Croatia Tours, www. croatiatours. ie. 01 878 0800; Topflight, www. topflight. ie, 01 2401700.

Romania Bordering the Black Sea, Romania and Bulgaria remain top beach resort contenders.

Sunway flies to Varna in Bulgaria for both destinations. The Romanian resort of Mamaia has eight kms of beaches and nearby are the mountains that featured in the film Cold Mountain, as well as Transylvania and Dracula's castle. Visits to the city of Bucharest or to the Danube Delta are other possibilities.

Bulgaria Golden Sands and Sunny Beach are the resorts served by Topflight and Sunway.

Direct Holidays (www. directholidays. ie, 01 8860444) are offering Sunny Beach for the first time. These are family friendly destinations, with excursion opportunities into the Balkan mountains and villages. Budget Travel, 01 631 1075, www. budgettravel. ie, also serves Sunny Beach and dubs Bulgaria 'the latest hot spot'.

It certainly has all the right ingredients.

Lisbon coast Sunway is opening up a new area of Portugal to the Irish tourist, centred on the coast near Lisbon, a much underrated city with immense charm. The resorts of Cascais, Estoril and Sintra are long-established, elegant places without the drawbacks of mass tourism.

Cascais enjoys a sophisticated nightlife and attracts jetsetters from all corners of the globe. The cobblestoned town has a harbour, small beaches and a new marina. Nearby Guincho beach has high waves, luring windsurfers. Beaches on the Estoril coast face south and are known for their calm waters and fine sand. Estoril has the biggest casino in Europe. Sintra is up in the hills with great views of the coastline. There are Roman archaeological sites to visit and the standard of accommodation is high.

United States As security fears ease and exchange rates remain favourable, the States is expected to be a prime destination in 2006 for theme park, beach and city holidays. American Holidays' charters to Orlando operate between 2 June and 27 October. A seven-night hotel package in Orlando is 497pp, booked online.

Or you could choose from a selection of houses with pools . . . 01 673 3840 www. americanholidays. ie. Tour America has a 14-night family package (two adults, two children) in Orlando for 2,269. 01 817 3500 www. touramerica. ie.

Panorama feature twin-centre packages combining the beach resorts of the Gulf Coast with a stay in the Orlando area. They are offering free child places and travel insurance for departures between 1 June and 31 October, booked before 28 February 2006.

Contact 0818 202020 www. panoramaholidays. ie.

San Francisco and New York are always popular. American Holidays has five nights in a three-star hotel in San Francisco for 779.

Canamerica offers a four-night four-star New York for 719 . . . 01 872 0444 www. canamerica. ie.

Packages to Boston, Chicago and Las Vegas are also set to sell well this year.