As Mark Tanzer, CEO, Association of British Travel Agents, noted, all in all, demand for both domestic as well as overseas trips rose five percent and while some former favourites, like North Africa, experienced a drop in arrivals, tried and trusted Mediterranean destinations benefitted from a renewed interest.

“Spain, Portugal and Cyprus are reported to have seen double-digit percentage increase in visitor numbers, while long-haul bookings, especially to the Caribbean islands and Mexico also increased significantly,” added Tanzer.