Millions jet off despite economy

Spain is still the most popular destination for UK tourists, Abta says

More than two million UK travellers are set to head abroad over the weekend of 18-21 July despite gloomy economic news, tourism operators have predicted.

Most English schools have joined those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in breaking up for the summer.

Abta, The Travel Association, says traffic to airports and ferry terminals is expected to be busy.

Frances Tuke of Abta said: "People are thinking about their pockets, and where their money is going to go further."

All-inclusive

She added: "Some people were really questioning as to whether people are going on holiday in quite the same numbers as they were last year, but it does seem to be the case that they are despite the credit crunch."

According to research company Ascent-MI, which works with Abta, summer holiday bookings out of the UK were up by 1% at the end of June 2008 compared to the same time a year previously.

The main airports are braced for 460,000 leaving from Heathrow, 260,000 from Gatwick, 150,000 from Stansted, 160,000 from Manchester, 70,000 from Birmingham and 150,000 from the main Scottish airports.

A spokesman for the UK's busiest airport, Heathrow, said on Saturday that services were running smoothly.

Spain remains the most popular destination, with growth also reported for France, Malta, and the Caribbean, according to Abta.

Ms Tuke said the biggest growth area was "mid-haul" destinations like Egypt, up 28%, and Turkey, up 20%.

Abta highlighted the strong euro as a reason for growth in destinations just outside the eurozone, while the weak dollar continued to make the US an attractive destination.

Operators reported that fewer late deals were available due to capacity cuts.

All-inclusive breaks have risen in popularity by 20%, Abta said, while camping and caravanning specialists have also reported rises.

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