Mass exodus as holidaymakers leave for Christmas
Four million Brits are expected to head overseas this Christmas and New Year period with the peak travel days predicted to be 20, 21 and 23 December.
According to ABTA, winter sun lovers are heading to the Canary Islands, Tunisia, Morocco and the Cape Verde Islands and for those flying long haul Dubai, Mexico, Cuba and Kenya.
Switzerland, France, Austria and Italy are the most popular destinations for winter sports lovers.
Popular for New Year’s Eve breaks are the cities of Paris, Edinburgh, Amsterdam, Rome, and Dublin.
In the UK, seaside resorts of Llandudno, Torquay and Eastbourne are popular and city breaks in London and York are also selling well, the association claims.
Numbers leaving Heathrow are expected to be 1.7 million, Stansted 360,000, Gatwick 700,000 and Luton 175,000 and in addition 360,000 will leave from Manchester.
100,000 will also be leaving through Glasgow and Edinburgh airports as well as large numbers through other regional airports throughout the UK.
Hundreds of thousands will also travel across the English Channel by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel with 210,000 heading off on the Eurostar with Paris being the favourite destination.
Diane
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