The Sun is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the most successful promotion in the newspaper’s 40 year history – Sun Holidays.  

Over 36 million readers have holidayed with The Sun since 1990 and the paper now sends more than 2 million people on a short break every year.  That makes it the biggest domestic holiday operator in the UK.

This January the paper is once again offering readers the chance to holiday in the UK from £9.50 per person for up to four nights.  And there are more fun family breaks than ever before.  There are 193 holiday parks in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Wight and Ireland to choose from. 

Families

Millions of families have been holidaying with The Sun since 1990*.   Jade Smith, 25, from Gloucester first went on a Sun holiday with mum Julie Stokes, 46, and dad, Dave Stokes, 48, in the early 90s.  She said:  “I remember my parents going on Sun holidays to Cornwall pretty much when they first started and I went with them too, and then as I got older I’d book them myself.”

Jade is now married and she and her husband Scott have an 11-week old daughter. Jade said: “I can’t wait to take her on her first holiday to Perran Sands in Cornwall with the Sun.  We’re hoping to go in April this year and will start saving our tokens as soon as they come out. We always have a great time whatever the weather!”

Bargain

Holidays available from £9.50 include breaks in March, April, May, September, October and November. There are even some February half-term breaks from £9.50 as well as some summer breaks from just £15 per person. 

All readers need to do is collect TEN differently numbered tokens from those printed every day in the Sun and the News of the World from Saturday 9 January.  More details are can be found at www.thesun.co.uk/holidays.  

Rob Painter, The Sun’s Marketing Director, said:  “Sun holidays have been a phenomenally successful promotion for the paper for the last two decades – some of our readers have holidayed with us every year since 1990. 

“It is no wonder that in the last year - when many of our readers felt the pinch during the recession - the promotion saw its highest uptake ever.  We are hoping that the 2010 offer will be even bigger, offering our readers a fantastic holiday experience at a bargain rate.” 

Marketing

The promotion is being supported with TV and radio advertising, direct mail and online search optimisation.  The ads show holidaymakers building sand sculptures on a beach and convey the family fun of a Sun holiday.

The offer will also be promoted in The Sun and News of the World’s paper and online editions.

The Sun has invested heavily in promoting the offer through its retail partners with point-of-sale ads, in-store radio and even free £9.50 Holidays branded frisbees for readers who buy the paper from street sellers.   It is estimated that 1 in 5 retailers who stock The Sun will have some form of in-store promotion to drive sales of the paper.