Spain continues to be Britons' top travel destination in the coming year, chosen by 29% of those surveyed in a study by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), ranking above Italy (15%), France (15%), the United States (14%) and Greece (11%).
According to the study, Japan rose 23 places in the top destinations list and is now in tenth position. Portugal is the fifth favourite country for 9% of respondents, followed by Germany (7%), Turkey (5%), Ireland (4%) and Japan (4%).
By region, Europe is still the top choice for travelling abroad next year (52%), followed by North America (13%) and Asia (9%).
In the 12 months before August 2023, 52% of the UK population went on holiday abroad and enjoyed an average of 1.4 holidays abroad each, in line with typical pre-pandemic levels of the last ten years.
This thirst for travel is set to remain strong in 2024, with almost two-thirds (64%) of Brits planning to travel abroad in the next 12 months.
May and June – the most popular months for travel
Moreover, the ABTA survey highlights a trend towards year-round travel, with a similar number of people planning to travel abroad in autumn and spring as in summer.
May and June will, therefore, be the most popular months for overseas breaks next year, with 21% of people planning to travel in those months, just ahead of October (19%) and slightly in front of the traditional peak months of July and August, both with a 17% preference.
"The data shows that demand for off-peak travel, and we know that many affiliates are working to meet that demand by extending seasons in some destinations and increasing off-peak capacity," the Association claimed.
The same budget as 2023
Moreover, most respondents (51%) plan to spend the same amount of money on holidays next year as in the last 12 months, with a significant proportion planning to spend more (28%).
But while the results show that many people plan to go on holiday on the same type of budget, most (72%) say that the cost of living will affect their travel plans.
So that they can keep their holiday dreams alive, ABTA reports that customers will adopt several cost-cutting tactics, such as taking fewer holidays (22%), booking cheaper accommodation (21%) and eating out less on holiday (17%).
Package holidays are gaining momentum
Among those who travelled abroad last year, 61% booked a package holiday, with price being the main motivation for Brits choosing this booking method, according to the ABTA survey.
Those who booked a package holiday said it was because it was the best value for money increased to 42%, up from 34% last year, while a third (33%) said they booked a package holiday because they wanted an all-inclusive holiday, up from 28% who said the same last year.