Abta estimates 2m British holidaymakers heading overseas for Easter

Abta has estimated about two million British holidaymakers are heading overseas during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend of (April 7-10) with Good Friday the busiest day for travel.

The association’s members are reporting “very strong sales” in many destinations, in particular mainland Spain, the Canary and Balearic Islands, the Algarve, Madeira, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Greece and southern Turkey.

For those booking city breaks, Amsterdam and Dublin are popular for short-haul travel, with New York and Dubai proving a hit for the long-haul market.

Airports are reporting strong numbers with about 175,000 leaving from Stansted; 105,000 from Luton; 160,000 from Manchester; 55,000 from Bristol and 85,000 from Edinburgh.

Other regional airports, seaports and the Channel Tunnel will also be extremely busy over the weekend, added Abta.

Mark Tanzer Abta chief executive said: “The Easter weekend is one of the busiest of the year for the travel industry and for some this will be the first overseas break since the start of the pandemic.

“Millions of holidaymakers will be heading off overseas for some much-needed warmth and sunshine after weeks of overcast and rainy weather at home.”