27 April 2012

Top sunny destinations in Europe

The gloomy British weather is convincing UK holidaymakers to head to sunnier climes for the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. Find out what the most popular holida

**The gloomy British weather is convincing UK holidaymakers to head to sunnier climes for the upcoming Bank Holiday weekend. Find out what the most popular holiday destinations are and the best ways of saving money abroad – including comparing car hire prices.******

"As the rain continued to wash out Bank Holiday Monday plans, we helped over 10,000 visitors – a 120% increase on a typical day – to find their next holiday,” said Will Goodridge, founder of I Spy Camping.

Figures from the I Spy Camping report revealed the destinations favoured by British travellers for their Bank Holiday getaway. The south of France tops the ranking, followed by Italy, Landes and the Vendee.

"Whilst UK holidays in 2012 are set to remain buoyant, many families will wait until the very last minute before deciding where to holiday, taking into consideration their holiday budget, the weather and availability. All tour operators need to be prepared and make researching and booking a last minute holiday as easy possible,” added Goodridge.

Another study published by Virgin Atlantic revealed that the number of holiday bookings has increased by 37% in comparison to the same period last year. Sunny Caribbean destinations accounted for the largest share of bookings.

"Britain's bad weather has created a flood of passengers eager to fly to sun-soaked destinations such as Barbados, St Lucia and Antigua,” said Virgin Atlantic spokesman, Greg Dawson.

In addition, Lowcostholidays.com found that Majorca is set to be the top destination for UK travellers during the Jubilee week. Booking figures for the Spanish island during this period have risen by 60% in comparison to 2011 data. The travel company also registered a 55% rise in the demand for holidays to Florida, the Algarve and Turkey.

Reduce your holiday costs

The fragile state of the economy has not deterred UK holidaymakers from travelling abroad this year, yet a majority of them look for ways to keep their holiday costs down.

Many are relying on the internet to shop around for holiday deals. Holiday car rental is another expense that needs to be well researched if consumers want to save money. Therefore, always compare car hire prices before flying to your holiday destination.