The big freeze is set to spur three million people to book their holiday in the next seven days, with more people expected to travel to the US in 2018 than they did last year.
Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority show Spain remains the top holiday destination for next year, while the US is second on the list. Italy, which was the number-two destination in 2017, has dropped one place.
Greece and France remain fourth and fifth. Portugal, the Caribbean, Australia, Canada and Cyprus make up the remainder of the top-10.
Despite the weakness of the pound driving up costs, the popularity of the US is stronger than ever with over a million more people looking to travel across the pond in 2018 than 2017.
The London bubble sees those from the capital bucking the trend when it comes to travel—only 7% of those that live in London see Spain as their next holiday, compared to the national average of just under a quarter (23%).
However, over half of holidaymakers don’t consider ATOL protection as important. Research shows 43% see ATOL as a ‘holiday essential’ and the CAA says the figures shows there is still a need for consumer education.
CAA consumers and markets director Richard Moriarty said: "With more consumers than ever using the period between Christmas and New Year to book trips abroad, we want to make sure as many people as possible understand the benefits of the ATOL scheme."
