Brits are bracing for a big freeze over the weekend, but holiday experts say that people are looking for a bit of sun abroad to avoid the chilly weather on the way
Industry experts say six million holidays will be booked this January (Image: Getty Images)
Millions of Brits are fleeing the country to escape the plunging temperatures as the nation prepares for a sub-zero freeze.
Holiday firms have revealed two foreign sunshine trips are being booked every second as millions of people try to get away from bitter Blighty. Industry experts say six million holidays will be booked this January – with Turkey, Spain, Greece and Egypt topping the list for getaways.
Experts said this weekend, dubbed Sunshine Saturday, would see a surge in bookings as the mercury back home hovers around zero – and the numbers of bookings are set to rise during January, according to package holiday company On The Beach.
Brits are swapping the cold and snow for sunny trips abroad(Image: Getty Images)
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at the firm, said: “Usually we see a spike on Sunshine Saturday and this year will be no different.
“However, throughout this month, we are expecting around 6 million bookings across the industry,” she said. “Every weekend will be a booking bonanza.
“Sunday 12th will be an extremely busy day and two weeks into a cold, soggy January, you can probably understand why. However, it’s January pay day weekend when we will see an astronomical spike.
‘A holiday booking will be made every two seconds'(Image: Getty Images)
“Looking at the predictions, it means this January, a holiday booking will be made every two seconds, it looks like everyone will be trying to book an escape!”
They said the top destination booked by Brits this year will be Turkey, followed by the Canary islands and mainland Spain.
It comes as boffins revealed that last year was the fourth warmest on record for the UK. The Met Office said it was another “clear illustration that our climate is changing, right now”.
The UN’s secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the world had endured a “decade of deadly heat”, with 2024 capping 10 years of unprecedented temperatures in what he described as “climate breakdown, in real time”.
‘Usually we see a spike on Sunshine Saturday'(Image: Getty Images)
Every year of the most recent decade has been warmer than the 1991-2020 long-term average and the UK has not had a top 10 coldest year since 1963, the Met Office said.
Met Office senior scientist Mike Kendon said: “With 2024 joining the top 10 warmest years for the UK’s annual temperature series, once again this is a clear illustration that our climate is changing, right now, and we continue to head up this warming curve.
“The fact that all 10 of the most recent years have been above the 1991-2020 average demonstrates that this recent period, entirely within my own adult lifetime, is a stark reminder of just how fast our climate is changing.
“We have not had a top 10 coldest year in the UK since 1963.
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