Balearics is top spot as Britain sets off on its summer holidays

The Bulletin reported yesterday that Majorca is fully booked until the end of Augusts and that over booking fears are beginning to creep in to the local tourist industry.
Well, this weekend the island is going to be flooded by British holiday makers as the schools finally break up for the summer holidays.
The Association of British TravelAgents, ABTA, reported yesterday that  2.1 million British holidaymakers are set to head overseas for summer holidays this weekend (24-27 July), which for the majority of schools in England and Wales marks the start of the six week break.
The Mediterranean dominates the market for families and temperatures this weekend range from the low to high thirties with uninterrupted sunshine.
Spain remains the number one destination for the UK holiday market, with the Canary and Balearic islands continuing to be popular.
Other Eurozone destinations, including Cyprus, France and Greece are also proving particularly popular this summer with holidaymakers attracted by the strong exchange rate.
The pound is currently at an eight year high against the Euro.
For those heading further afield the Dominican Republic and Mexico have sold well, with Florida remaining the number one long haul choice for families.
Domestic bookings are healthy with travel agents and tour operators reporting strong demand.
As well as city and country breaks in the UK, shorter holidays to Barcelona, Amsterdam, Rome, Dublin and New York also feature as some of the top picks for summer 2015.
Mark Tanzer ABTA Chief Executive said: “This weekend sees the great summer getaway in full swing with all of the schools in the UK having broken up for their summer break and hundreds of thousands of UK holidaymakers heading off for a break.
“Destinations around the Mediterranean remain the firm favourites for British families with Spain and Greece leading the way.
“Many ABTA Members are reporting an increase in late bookings to Greece following the recent progress in securing a bailout, with customers taking advantage of some exceptional deals.
“For those flying long haul, Florida and Dubai are very popular this year, with families benefitting from the cut in child air taxes that was introduced in May.
“Holidaymakers will also see their spending money going further with the pound having increased in value against a wide range of currencies, particularly the Euro, over the last 12 months.”
Airports in the South East are expecting a very busy weekend with 450,000* passengers departing from Heathrow, 310,000 from Gatwick, 160,000 from Stansted and 90,000 from Luton.  Over 100,000 will be leaving from Scottish airports with 50,000 from Glasgow alone.