Holiday trade sees race to get away

“The end of July and beginning of August were relatively quiet but suddenly we have seen this massive upswing in booking and inquiries,” said Laurence Hicks, director of tour operator and holiday rentals company CLC Leisure.

He went on: “Either we Brits don’t want the party to end and intend to carry on celebrating the success of Team GB with a holiday or we are worn out by the emotional extremes of watching the Games and need a break.

“We knew that there would be a late-booking trend this year because people wanted to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience of London 2012 but the sudden rush has exceeded all expectations.”

Meanwhile, Visa Europe has revealed that during the period July 30 to August 5, spending on bus lines, charters and tours in the UK was up 18 per cent at more than £7.04m. But spending at airports was down 13 per cent at £1.11m, while spending at travel agencies was flat at £235m.

A Visa spokeswoman said: “It seems that Britons chose to stay at home rather than go away on foreign holidays to make the most of the Games-time atmosphere in the UK.”