Two million UK holidaymakers to escape wet August weather

At least two million British holidaymakers are preparing to escape one of the wettest Augusts in many years by flying off to overseas destinations this coming weekend, according to a new survey conducted by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

The ABTA is predicting that 22 and 23 August will be the busiest days of the period, with around one million travellers departing for their holidays from south-eastern England alone.

Britain’s busiest gateway will be Heathrow Airport once again, with over 420,000 passengers departing, followed by Gatwick, with 260,000 passengers, Stansted, with 160,000 and Luton Airport with 80,000 passengers.

The leading regional gateway will be Manchester Airport, where at least 160,000 passengers will depart on their holidays, and the total number for the three main Scottish airports – Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow – is predicted at around 140,000.

ABTA president, Justin Fleming, noted: “The August bank holiday is our traditional goodbye to the summer and is always very busy. This year is no exception with large numbers escaping to guaranteed sunshine, sandy beaches and warm seas.”

Destinations expected to be as popular as ever are the perennial favourites, such as the Balearics, the Spanish mainland and Greece.

City breaks are also proving popular, with European destinations such as Amsterdam, Dublin and Rome topping the list.

www.abta.com