Should I stay or should I go: Brits take advantage of 4-day Bank Holiday

ABTA has discovered that more than three million  British travellers will be making the most of the back-to-back Bank Holidays by taking a trip overseas or exploring the British Isles with a staycation.

With the four-day Easter Weekend and the May Day Bank Holiday just around the corner, many people only need to take nine days off work in order to enjoy a two and a half week break – and lots of savvy UK travellers are doing just that.

Mark Tanzer, chief executive of ABTA said: “People only have so much time off they can take from work – so it’s no wonder the back-to-back Bank Holidays have appealed to so many this year. Not only do people have the opportunity for a longer break, with Easter being so much later this year many destinations that are closer to home will appeal as the weather is likely to be warmer than Easter 2018.”

ABTA’s new findings reveal that nearly a quarter (23%) of the population plan to take a holiday over the Easter period and one in four (26%) of these are either taking annual leave themselves between Friday 19th April and Monday 6th May, or are travelling with someone who is.

This year it is much easier to take a trip further afield, without eating too much into annual leave allowances. Travel companies report Florida, New York, Vietnam, Israel, Maldives, Japan, Mexico and Dubai among some of the most favoured destinations over the Bank Holiday period.

With Easter being much later this year, it also means the weather in some destinations closer to home is likely to be warmer compared with Easter 2018. Popular destinations include Majorca, Turkey, mainland Spain, Egypt, Tunisia, Cyprus, Malta, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

However, many will also be spending their Bank Holidays in the UK – with the Lake District, Edinburgh, York, London, Llandudno, Bournemouth and Newquay all in demand.

Tanzer added: “If you haven’t arranged your holiday this year the Easter weekend is a good time to explore your options and book. Holidaymakers will find that there are some good value breaks available this Summer – the return of Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia is driving up competition in the Western Mediterranean and Bulgaria is also proving popular.

The Brexit extension should give people total confidence to book their Summer holidays and travel arrangements, knowing that nothing will change regarding travel arrangements to the EU throughout the Summer.”