EDINBURGH, Scotland,
December 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
22nd December set to be the
busiest getaway day of the year reveals Skyscanner
One in five Brits would rather go away than spend Christmas at
home this year, according to a survey by leading travel search site
Skyscanner.
Yet, compared with Europe, the
British are still traditionalists at heart - in a poll of over
14,000 European travellers, 41% are looking to get away from it all
this Christmas. And across Europe,
Saturday 22nd December looks set to be a busy day at the
airports - Skyscanner has seen more flight searches for departures
on this date than for any other day of the year.
Each year, more than 4.3m[*]
Brits head abroad during the festive period. Leading the drive for
sun and sand are those from Manchester and Liverpool with 28%. Although, after record
levels of rain hit those living in the South West this summer, 23%
of people from the region are keen for a spot of sun this
mid-winter.
However, not everyone would be happy to trade a good old
traditional Christmas with family and friends for a picturesque
paradise; only 4% of Northern Irish travellers would choose to go
abroad rather than celebrate at home.
For those looking to get away, the much loved island of Tenerife
is proving as popular as ever as the top UK getaway destination
this festive season. However, for many it will be a long-haul
Christmas as Thailand
(Bangkok), USA (New
York), UAE (Dubai) and
Australia (Sydney), make up the top five most popular
Christmas destinations.
Skyscanner's Victoria Bailie
commented: "While the majority still crave a white Christmas at
home, it's a trip to the sun that's at the top of many wish lists
this year, with popular sun spot Tenerife the top destination for
British travellers. As schools break up for Christmas, the
22nd December looks set to be the busiest day of the
year for those planning to fly away, and our research shows that it
is the North West that is likely to see the biggest exodus to the
sun."
[*]Source: ABTA
About Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site providing
instant online comparisons for millions of flights, from flights to
Thailand to flights to USA as well as car hire and hotels. Founded
in 2003 by three IT professionals, Gareth
Williams, Barry Smith and
Bonamy Grimes, Skyscanner is the
no.1 travel search website in Europe and no.3 worldwide, receiving 30
million visits per month. The site is available in 30 languages and
its suite of free mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows
Phone and BlackBerry have been downloaded over 11 million times.
The company employs close to 200 staff and has its global
headquarters in Edinburgh, UK with
Asia Pacific hub offices in
Singapore and Beijing and future expansion planned to
capatalise on huge global growth.
Follow Skyscanner on Twitter and Facebook.