ABTA, The Travel Association estimates that 2.2 million UK travelers are set to head overseas for their summer vacations this weekend (July 24-27), the first weekend this year when all schools across the UK are on summer break.
Spain remains the number one destination for families, with the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, and the Canary and Balearic Islands among the most popular choices. ABTA members have also seen strong demand for Greece, Portugal, Italy, Türkiye, and, farther afield, families will be jetting off to Florida and Mexico.
City breaks are also popular at this time of year, with Barcelona, Budapest, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Paris leading the way.
Airports in Southeast England are expecting a very busy weekend, with hundreds of thousands of passengers expected to depart from Heathrow and Gatwick, around 220,000 from Stansted, and 130,000 from Luton.
Around 250,000 passengers are due to depart from Manchester Airport, more than 110,000 from Birmingham, 80,000 from Bristol, and, although Scottish schools are well into their summer vacation, many travelers will still be departing from Scottish airports this weekend. Other regional airports, ports, and the Channel Tunnel will also be extremely busy.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA’s Chief Executive, said: “This weekend will be the first of the summer when all families around the country will have the chance to take a well-earned break; ABTA members have been at the forefront in providing them with the right vacation for them within their budget.
“For many heading overseas, this will be the first experience of the Entry/Exit System in Europe, and for some, though not all, it may take longer than usual to get through passport control. As always, leave plenty of time to get to your departure point when traveling out and returning.”
