People plan to take advantage of the mega four-day Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday by heading overseas the previous weekend.
This means holidaymakers gain nine days away while taking just three days off work.
The one-off celebrations take place between Thursday, June 2 and Sunday, June 5, with new flight data showing travellers keen to exploit the additional time off.
Analysis based on recent search demand for air tickets from the UK to Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Portugal all show a peak for the weekend prior to the bank holiday, followed by a clear fall in demand.
Travel data specialist Mabrian found that Spain is the top choice of destination for Britons wanting to go abroad, followed by Italy, Turkey, Greece and Portugal.
But the demand does not appear to be directly linked to average room rates, with Italy having the highest average price at €133.84, followed by Greece at €120.65, Spain at €119.28, Portugal €118.23 and Turkey at just €82.45.
Mabrian sales and marketing director Carlos Cendra said: “Normally at this time of year there’s a steady increase in demand week by week for sun-and-sea European destinations from Brits as the temperatures get warmer and the summer season starts properly.
“But this year’s mega-bank holiday weekend, thanks to Queen Elizabeth’s 70th anniversary celebrations, has created a welcome one-off boost to demand with a clear preference from travellers to take the whole week off and benefit from nine days away for the price of just three days’ work holiday.
“Interestingly, Spain is the clear winner from this despite not having the most competitive room prices, particularly when compared with Turkey, showing that a destination is much more than simply accommodation and that people are prepared to pay more for a familiar and high-quality experience.
“Perhaps Britain can think up some other anniversaries to celebrate in say October time to boost the shoulder season across Europe?”