Brits are in for the long haul this winter

Cheapflights.co.uk, the UK’s leading flight price comparison website, has researched the preferred winter sun destinations for 2008 according to site users. Findings show that Britons prefer to go the distance when it comes to quenching their thirst for sunshine.

The ever popular Canary Islands heat up the top ten, followed by the exotic locations of Cape Town and Goa. Old favourites keep the results similar to 2007, however Barbados has risen in the ranks to become this year’s favourite in the Caribbean.

2008’s Top 10 most searched destinations include:

1. Tenerife
2. Bangkok
3. Orlando
4. Dubai
5. Lanzarote
6. Cape Town
7. Goa
8. Gran Canaria
9. Barbados
10. Sharm El-Sheikh

After the stress of the holiday season and the lack of any vitamin D filled rays, Britons are seeking sunshine in the solace of beach clad destinations. The Canary Isles of Tenerife, Lanzarote, and Gran Canaria remain the UK favourite for winter sun and why wouldn’t they be? They have year round perfect weather with temperatures that hover between 15-24 degrees centigrade, and are cheap and easy to get to.

After the wallet drain of Christmas, they are the perfect place to obtain that sun-kissed glow. And if lying around on their black volcanic beaches is not appealing enough, there are a range of other things to experience including museums, pyramids, mountainous views, and the famously ambient Spanish night life.

For the traveller who would rather venture further afield, the East beckons with destinations like Sharm El-Sheikh, Goa, and Bangkok, all of which offer an island paradise type of holiday with idyllic sandy beaches, scuba diving, and different kinds of sumptuous exotic cuisines and fruity cocktails. Moreover, the city of Dubai, which was once just a stop over to the aforementioned locations has become a holiday haven in itself.

This thriving metropolis is juxtaposed by a coastline of white sandy shores washed away by crystal clear, turquoise blue waters and offers an endless number of stunning resorts comprising some of the world’s best spas at very reasonable prices.

Although East is generally considered far flung, it appears that for some travellers it is not far enough. Hence the choice of travel to places like Barbados, Cape Town, and Orlando. The appeal of the Barbadian tropics is obvious as are the shores of Cape Town, but Orlando, while still being sunny and hot, is a slightly different destination to its other top ten counterparts.

The initial call of Orlando can be credited to the strength of the pound which means that although the cost of the journey might be pricier than a European getaway, your money goes a lot further once you get there. And for those with families, it is the perfect choice where parents can enjoy relaxing activities such as golfing at Augusta while children are entertained by the rides at Disneyland or swimming with the dolphins at Discovery Cove.

Francesca Ecsery, Cheapflights’ General Manager comments in saying, “January is a great time to grab a bargain. Flight sales are everywhere so travellers have the choice between thousands of destinations at a very low cost. And the end of the holiday season brings on the January Blues which, coupled with this unpleasantly wet weather, makes it a very popular time of year to search for travel.”