Bank holiday escape
Nearly two million sun-starved British tourists are expected to travel abroad this bank holiday weekend.
ABTA - The Travel Association has found that most are escaping from the unpredictable British weather and heading to the sunnier climes of the Mediterranean and Florida. Numbers are thought to be especially high due to the half term school break falling in the same week as the public holiday.
With showery weather forecast for the weekend, Spain, the Canaries and Balearic Islands are the most popular European destinations with Italy, Turkey, Egypt and Greece also firm favourites. Long haul travellers are heading to Florida for an affordable family break.
Justin Fleming ABTA President said: “Much has been talked about the credit crunch this year, but there is real strength in the travel industry as is shown by the number of people leaving the country this weekend. Many of our members are reporting good financial results against a steady increase in bookings.”
Passengers flying out of the South East include 390,000 from Heathrow, 240,000 from Gatwick, 150,000 from Stanstead and nearly 70,000 from Luton. Manchester will see 120,000 Brits heading off, with 65,000 leaving Birmingham and 40,000 departing from Nottingham East Midlands.
Eurostar has 80,000 bookings with other regional airports and ferry terminals also very busy.
Written by: Maxine Clarke
There's still time to pre-book your bank holiday airport parking with Holiday Extras, at the market's best prices
Related News Articles
Clocks go back October | Clocks change Autumn 2011 - 26/10/2011
Pull the curtains, grab a blanket and get cosy, on Sunday October 30 2011 it's time to put your clocks back.Summer holiday bargains | Travellers wait to grab last minute deals - 15/08/2011
UK holiday-makers are holding out for last minute travel bargains this summer, and nabbing some great deals.Glasgow Airport Roadworks - 15/08/2011
Allow more time when travelling to and from Glasgow Airport. Roadworks are expected to cause delays until May 5th.
