MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brits love holidays in Spain: 14 million holidayed in sunny Spain in 2017

Spain is by far the UK’s favorite holiday destination, with almost 14 million Brits holidaying in sunny Spain in 2017. More than double visits of any other country!

Brits love a holiday and whether we’re looking for a beach getaway or a city break, the next flight is often not too far away. But which long haul and short haul destination is the UK’s favorite? How long do we stay and how much do we spend? Newly collected travel data reveals UK’s favorite holiday destinations.

The UK’s Top 10 Holiday Destinations. Country UK visits in thousands: Spain 13,968; France 6,064; Italy 2,870; Portugal 2,324; USA 2,186; Greece 2,110; Netherlands 1,597; Irish Republic 1,208; Germany 1,185 and Turkey 895.

Spain is by far the UK’s favorite holiday destination, with almost 14 million Brits holidaying in sunny Spain in 2017. That’s more than double the visits of any other country! So what’s behind its popularity?

The main reason Spain is so much more popular than even France, the 2nd favorite destination, is likely to be value for money. While the amount you’ll spend on flights and accommodation in Spain and France is very similar, the cost of enjoying yourself while you’re there is much lower in Spain.

The cost of living in Spain is 18% lower than in the UK, making food, drink and leisure activities while on holiday great value for Brits. Meanwhile, in France, the cost of living is 30% higher than Spain so it’s likely that Spain tops the charts due to its potential for offering a fantastic holiday on a budget.

Italy came in as the 3rd most popular holiday spot for Brits, at 2.8 million visits, despite being the 6th most expensive. In fact, a trip to Italy is more expensive, per night, even than Mexico, Hong Kong, Thailand & New Zealand.

Italy is synonymous with sophistication and culture so it’s perhaps not surprising that it’s one of the UK’S favorite destinations for a luxury holiday. Home to some of the biggest cultural tourist attractions in Europe and one of the top honeymoon destinations of the last five years, Italy has huge wanderlust appeal for UK tourists.

New Zealand is the 2nd least visited holiday destination for Brits yet the average length of time spent there is a whopping 37 nights. So while only 59,000 Brits visited the land of the Kiwi in 2017, it seems that those who did banked on staying for an extended holiday.

New Zealand is a popular destination for working holidays and it’s not hard to see why. Not only is it a beautiful country, but the cost of a Working Holiday Maker Visa is around half the price of those in similar destinations, like Australia The cost of living is also a little lower in New Zealand than Australia, making it a great choice for an extended holiday.

As the 10th most popular destination, Turkey offers the best value for money on a long haul holiday in terms of flights and accommodation. With an average cost of around £552 per visit,

Turkey is a clear choice if you’re on a budget, especially when you consider the next most popular long haul destinations like United Arab Emirates at £1140 per visit and the US at £1319.