Around 1.8 million British travellers are expected to head overseas for the August Bank Holiday weekend, which runs from August 24 to 27, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), a UK-based travel agency association.
While Spain is the most popular destination with British tourists, destinations in Turkey, the Greek Islands, as well as Egypt and Tunisia, have also attracted plenty of bookings for the coming weekend.
British travellers are also expecting to benefit from the strong pound against a weakening Euro, which at current rates is expected to increase their spending power by around 10 percent when compared to the same time last year.
Domestic tour operators are also reporting high demand for UK holiday destinations on the South Coast and South West, as well as the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey.
Mark Tanzer, the ABTA chief executive officer, said, ‘As always at the end of a major sporting event, many people are looking to head off for a break either at home or overseas. Spain and Greece continue to be popular with many holidaymakers taking advantage of the strong Pound, which is at a four year high against the Euro, as well as the fact that prices in bars and restaurants have come down.’
Airports are reporting that around 250,000 passengers are expected to fly out of London Gatwick, 124,000 passengers from London Stansted, and 68,500 from London Luton during the August holidays.
Eurostar, a UK-based high-speed rail service between the UK and mainland Europe, is reporting that around 60,000 passengers are expected to take the service to the European destinations of Paris, Amsterdam, Avignon, Lyon and Bruges, for the coming weekend.
