Early taste of summer gives Brits appetite for more sun

British Summer Time got off to a great start this weekend with much of the UK bathed in sun, but the hot weather seems to have triggered a ‘summer holiday state of mind’ with many people now wanting more. Flight comparison site Skyscanner saw a 68% rise in flight searches to sunny destinations, compared to the same time last year, with thousands planning their summer escapes to ensure they get more sun later this year.

Last year, New York was in the number one spot, but this year, city breaks are out and it was traditional beach destinations that people were looking for. Malaga (up one position) was the most popular destination followed by Portugal’s Faro (up five positions) and then Alicante, Palma and Tenerife. Ibiza was up six places to position six, followed by Barcelona and Bangkok. New York was down eight spots, and Dublin rose from position twenty to position ten. Orlando, which was number five last year, has dropped out of the top ten altogether

Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner Travel Editor commented: “After a cold winter for much of the UK, the weekend’s heatwave has given people a taste of sun and now they want more. You’d think that the good weather would encourage UK ‘staycations’ but it seems that many people fear the heat won’t last for long so want to guarantee more warm weather by grabbing a flight to Spain or Portugal.”

Hot Spots: top 10 summer 2012 destinations

1. Malaga (Spain)
2. Faro (Portugal)
3. Alicante (Spain)
4. Palma (Spain)
5. Tenerife (Spain)
6. Ibiza (Spain)
7. Barcelona (Spain)
8. Bangkok (Thailand)
9. New York (USA)
10. Dublin (Ireland)