Montenegro is set to be a popular Christmas destination among British holidaymakers, an expert has claimed.

Graham McKenzie, managing director of online tourism portal TravelMole, said that more people are looking for "somewhere different and relatively close to home" when planning a Christmas holiday abroad.

"I think Montenegro and Serbia are places that are remerging on to the tourism scene, again with relatively low cost flights and good air connections," he commented.

"Those [destinations] that are outside the euro zone, such as Egypt and Turkey - they'll continue to be popular."

This could be good news for those with buy-to-let property in Montenegro as the influx of tourists may increase demand for rental accommodation. Montenegrin tourism minister Predrag Nenezic has said recently that income from the country's tourism industry is expected to reach EUR 540 million by the end of the year.

Flights search engine skyscanner.net recently rated Montenegro's Podgorica at number one in its 'top ten undiscovered European capitals', based on searches conducted on the website during summer 2008.

A survey published earlier this month by travel search engine Kayak.co.uk found that despite predicted job losses of 300,000, rising fuel and food prices and the falling value of the pound, 60 per cent of Britons polled will not cancel on their winter travel plans.

Some 45 per cent of respondents intend to jet off somewhere warm this December, according to the research.