Britons hurry to book summer holidays

Holiday bookings are up as Britain again faces the prospect of a wet summer, the latest figures from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) suggest.

Holiday bookings are up as Britain again faces the prospect of a wet summer, the latest figures from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) suggest.

According to TravelMole, average summer holiday bookings are up on last year, despite the economic doom and gloom.

In addition, travellers are looking further afield for their destinations in a bid to get more for their money as the euro rises.

Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: “With a changing economic climate, many existing trends have become more pronounced.

“With the strong euro, greater growth is being experienced in the mid to long haul destinations outside of the eurozone, which is where many ABTA members have concentrated new programmes,” he commented.

Statistics published by the Post Office in April found that many holidaymakers were looking for flights to South Africa thanks to the gains sterling had made against the rand.

It had gained some 21 per cent, meaning that travellers could get more for their money in the country.