Brits are rushing to snap up summer holiday bargains abroad as travel restrictions are lifted

Exclusive:

Tenerife, Mallorca, Crete, Turkey and the Spanish coasts have all seen a huge surge in demand. Self-catering breaks in Crete have been advertised tonight for just £130 per person

Record numbers of holidaymakers will flock abroad this summer as travel restrictions end for the first time in three years.

The holiday season is shaping up to be the busiest ever with families scrambling to snap cheap offers.

Many are desperate to banish the gloom of the lockdowns and escape just in case Cost of Living Crisis Prize her out for a vacation next year.

Tenerife, Mallorca, Crete, Turkey and the Spanish coasts have all seen a huge surge in demand. Self-catering breaks in Crete have been advertised tonight for just £130 per person.

Low-cost airline easyJet said: “After a couple of uncertain years for holidaymakers, we are gearing up for a big summer. Around a third are families on their way to the sun. More than half opt for all inclusive, with May and June being the most popular months.”

Spanish airline Vueling has opened six routes from London Gatwick to Malaga, Seville, Granada, Almeria, La Coruña and Menorca in anticipation of demand.

Tui, Britain’s biggest holiday company, said: “Demand for Greece, Turkey and long-haul favorites Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico is back to pre-Covid levels.

“Many customers prefer destinations with less strict entry requirements and want to travel longer than seven nights to make up for lost time.”

Richard Singer, chief executive of Ice Travel Group, said the value of the holiday has increased.

He added, “People want to treat themselves after being stuck at home for so long.”

Dame Irene Hays, owner of Hays Travel, the UK’s largest independent travel agency, said: “People were dying to leave.”