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The Germans are going elsewhere this summer, the British holiday market is sluggish and the Spanish, a market the Balearics has been banking on to help compensate for the German slump, are becoming increasingly adventurous. Spanish travel agents have already reported a sizeable swing away from the Balearics because of strike fears and general unrest in the region's tourist industry - not to mention that many mainlanders find the Balearics too expensive - and an eight per cent increase in the number of Spaniards going abroad for their summer holiday is expected this year. According to leading travel agents, the main reason why people are looking to foreign shores is to avoid overbooking problems in hotels and on flights. This summer the most popular destinations are European capital cities, the United States, the Caribbean, Turkey, Morocco and Egypt, the latter of which has been heavily promoted since Christmas with Nile cruises proving extremely popular. Traditionally, most people would leave their summer holiday reservations until the last minute, but this year, travel agents have noticed that bookings have been made at least two months prior to departure. An increasing number of people are also taking their holidays outside the busy months of July and August.