Spain is the number one destination on people’s travel wish list for 2022, according to research revealed by Abta.
Almost a third (29%) of respondents in a poll said they want to travel to Spanish resorts, which usually welcome more than 18 million Brits each year.
Moving up to second place – and topping the list of long-haul destinations – is the US, which reopened its borders to UK tourists in November 2021.
Almost one in five (18%) of respondents plan to travel there this year, with New York and Florida among the most popular destinations.
Meanwhile, a poll carried out for budget carrier easyJet claims that Brits are planning more holidays than usual in 2022 to make up for lost travel experiences over the last two years.
More than half of the 2,000 consumers quizzed (55%) said they plan on taking more than two holidays this year; 50% said they will go on more holidays in 2022 than they normally would; and a third were planning to spend £1,000-plus more than usual on their 2022 holidays as a result of having travel plans disrupted by restrictions.
According to the Abta poll, two further long-haul destinations rising in popularity are Australia (5%) and Canada (4.5%), both up two places from last year to eighth and ninth respectively.
Other European holiday destinations France (18%), Italy (16%) and Greece (10%) complete the top five.
Portugal (9%) and Germany (8%) remain the sixth and seventh most popular locations, and Turkey (4%) has moved up two places to the 10th most popular destination this year.
Abta highlighted how the relaxation of the UK’s testing requirements today (January 7) will make travel more accessible and it is advising holidaymakers to book with an Abta member for advice and guidance.
Graeme Buck, communications director at Abta, said: “January is typically when people start to plan their holidays for the year ahead, so we’d encourage anyone who is thinking of booking a holiday to speak with an Abta member.
“Whether they’re looking to visit one of these popular destinations or somewhere else entirely, our members are experts at finding the best holiday for their customers – and at a competitive price.
“They’ll also be there to look after their customers every step of the way, from doing all the research to keeping them up-to-date with any restrictions or changes they need to be aware of, so they can book and travel with confidence.”
In the hours following the government announcement about testing restrictions, easyJet saw UK bookings rise by almost 200% on average compared to the same time last week.
Flights to Spanish destinations Tenerife, Alicante, Malaga and Lanzarote proved to be most in demand.
Sophie Dekkers, chief commercial officer at easyJet, said: “[The removal of restrictions] will make travel much simpler and easier and means our customers can book with confidence and are hopeful that completely restriction-free travel will return soon.
“We are excited about our plans for next summer, which should see us return to 2019 levels of capacity and beyond.”
Abta has put together comprehensive advice for travelling during the pandemic at www.abta.com/readysteadytravel.
Most popular destinations for 2022
Its poll found the top 10 overseas destinations people plan to travel to in 2022 (and their change in ranking compared to last year) are:
Spain (29.3%) =
US (18.1%) +1
France (17.8%) -1
Italy (16.4%) =
Greece (10.1%) =
Portugal (8.7%) =
Germany (8.2%) =
Australia (5.1%) +2
Canada (4.5%) +2
Turkey (4.0%) +2
The survey of 2,000 consumers was conducted for Abta in the last two weeks of August 2021.
Picture of Playa de Morro Jable, Fuerteventura, Spain, by Elena Krivorotova/Shutterstock