Britons in holiday booking bonanza

Tour operators Thomson and First Choice said there were record numbers of searches on their websites over Christmas, with Tenerife featuring strongly.

Thomas Cook Airlines also reported an increased number of festive searches, with - appropriately - Turkey one of the popular holiday destinations.

Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance said those booking a trip in 2015 would spend, on average, £806 on the holiday alone - before in-destination spending.

A British Airways’ survey showed that 45% of people would give up something in January 2015 but holidays, cleaners and social media were the things people were least likely to cut back on.

Thomson and First Choice said the interest in Tenerife trips could have been down to the Canary Islands featuring in a Birds of a Feather TV special on Boxing Day.

The two companies listed Greece, Cyprus and Goa in India as other destinations attracting a lot of interest.

Thomson and First Choice commercial director Andrew Flintham said: “The record searches prove that even though we are a nation that loves Christmas, the lure of a sunshine break is too strong for most of us.”

Thomas Cook Airlines listed Dalaman in Turkey as a popular destination with those looking to get away in 2015, followed by Orlando in Florida, New York and Las Vegas.

Sainsbury’s Travel Insurance said beach holidays were still beating city breaks as the most popular activity for those planning overseas trips in 2015.

It added that 21% of those intending to have a holiday in 2015 would have booked it by the end of 2014.

BA’s survey of 1,000 people showed that eating out was the thing people were most likely to eschew in January 2015.

Some 8% were planning to sacrifice a holiday.

Online travel agents Expedia.co.uk said the football World Cup in Brazil in 2014 had led to a surge in interest in holidays to South America, particularly to Argentina.