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A summer washout last month, the wettest June since Met Office records began in 1910, has dampened Brits’ spirits and put paid to all thoughts of a staycation.

Instead UK holidaymakers are looking to escape the persistent downpour in search of sunnier climes abroad, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).

A 20 per cent increase in holiday searches was recorded by travel companies in June, with a flurry of bookings set to be made over the next few months.

The vast majority of these will favour traditional holiday hotspots in the Mediterranean, taking advantage of the pound’s continued strength against the euro. The ongoing eurozone crisis has caused the pound’s value against the euro to climb by 10 per cent in the last year.

“As the Mediterranean enjoys temperatures in the late 20s and early 30s we’ve barely seen any sunshine this summer,” said Nathan Timmins, Head of Online Marketing at Thomson.

“Over the last month the Balearics, Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Morocco have proved popular as Brits look to escape to sandy beaches, beautiful weather and resorts that they know and love.”

The ABTA has predicted that as many as 13 million UK travellers are planning a foreign holiday in July and August.

“With rain forecast for the rest of the week we imagine that the website will keep attracting more users, as people look to research and book their holidays or just get some inspiration and take their mind off the rain,” added Mr Timmins.

Despite the planned exodus, many Brits are determined to stay in the UK to celebrate the Olympic Games.

Research conducted by the ABTA earlier this year shows that 9 per cent of Brits are planning to take a break on British shores while the Games are on, while three million plan to attend Olympic events in London.

About the author

Oonagh ShielContent Manager at Cheapflights whose travel life can be best summed up as BC (before children) and PC (post children). We only travel during the school holidays so short-haul trips and staycations are our specialities!

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