Spain tops Christmas travel list

Spain is the most popular Christmas destination for British holidaymakers, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has said.

Frances Tuke, a spokesperson for the travel industry body, said that the guarantee of sunny weather during wintertime made Spain, and particularly the Costa del Sol next to the Mediterranean, the favourite destination in the festive season.

That many Brits also own property in Spain was another motivating factor, Ms Tuke added.

"Because of the huge numbers of people who have holiday homes in Spain, that is our top destination," she said.

"[The Costa Del Sol] is still popular because of the numbers who own property and because the weather is still better there than it is here."

Ms Tuke added, however, that the Canary Islands were a preferable location if winter sun was the main objective.

"In terms of guaranteed sunshine, the Canaries win out," she said.

Expectations are that holiday bookings will be up this Christmas, with a recent poll by Lastminute.com suggesting that 71 per cent of workers still had more than half their annual leave still to take.

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