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So long staycation: Brits make the most of falling flight prices this Bank Holiday

Joanna Faith
Written By:
Joanna Faith
Posted:
Updated:
24/08/2016

Brits are taking advantage of falling flight prices and choosing European breaks over staycations this August bank holiday.

Holidaymakers will be jetting off to the likes of Barcelona, Amsterdam and Berlin rather than spending the long weekend in popular UK destinations such as Newquay and Edinburgh, according to data from search engine Kayak.co.uk.

It found searches to the top 15 most popular European destinations for the bank holiday were up nearly 10% compared to last year. Meanwhile, searches to the top five UK destinations have fallen by 18% in the same period.

A drop in the price of air fares appears to be behind the trend. The average price for flying from the UK to the top 15 European destinations for the bank holiday weekend has fallen by 18% compared to last year – from an average of £175 to £142.

For example, the average cost of a return flight to Berlin has fallen from £147 last year to just £99 this year. This has seen its popularity increase by a huge 55%. Likewise, prices for Amsterdam have fallen from £132 last year to £111 this year, leading to an increase in popularity of 29%.

Annie Wilson, travel expert at Kayak, said: “Due to falling flight prices combined with an increased trend for Brits to choose several shorter foreign breaks throughout the year, it appears that we are seeing a shift for Brits to increasingly choose to go abroad for the bank holiday instead of having a break in the UK.

“With flight prices falling so much, and the cost of food, drink and activities often being cheaper on the continent, it can often mean that a short foreign break can offer better value for money, as well as an increased likelihood of sunshine. Either way, the data indicates that Brexit has had little impact on Brit’s appetite for visiting Europe.”

YM.European Table