Two million British holidaymakers are expected to head overseas in the next four days as schools break up for the summer holidays.

ABTA expects most holidaymakers to head to Spain with the Canary and Balearic Islands some of the most popular destinations. Turkey and Greece are also popular destinations, with many taking advantage of the euro exchange rate and cheaper in-resort prices. Thomson and First Choice are set to fly 46,000 customers from 18 airports during the weekend, also mentioning the Balearics and Turkey as popular destinations. Cape Town, Mexico, Greece, Florida and Egypt are also amongst the top-selling destinations, with a trend towards more seven-night stays. The company has also absorbed the increased Spanish VAT rates.

“In terms of our most popular hotels both the four Sensatori resorts for Thomson and the 11 Holiday Villages for First Choice have done very well this summer. I think people are looking to spend their hard earned cash on holidays they know they will deliver and which have their meals and lots of activities included,” said Steve Perridge, general manager of late trading at Thomson and First Choice.

Around 1 million people are expected to leave from London’s airports, while 100,000 will fly from Scotland; 297,000 from Manchester and 64,000 from Birmingham.

ABTA said domestic operators are also seeing strong demand, with favourites Cornwall, Devon and the South Coast expected to be busy, as well as Blackpool and Brighton.

Meet the Author

Amanda Greenwood