Barcelona tops Britons’ holiday list as spending abroad jumps
BRITONS splurged more on their summer holidays abroad this year thanks to improving confidence, new figures show, with Barcelona topping the charts as the most popular destination.
Spending on travel – including air fares, hotels and eating out – grew by 7.5 per cent in the first six months of this year, compared with 2.4 per cent over the same period last year, according to Barclaycard data released today.
This was driven by a 13 per cent jump in spending on food, drink and shopping by Britons while on holiday. Hotel spending rose by 7.8 per cent following a 10 per cent rise in bookings.
Barcelona remained the top summer holiday destination for the second year in a row, followed by New York and Paris.
Greece was among destinations that fared less well. Spending by British tourists in Greece fell by a fifth year-on-year in July amid the country’s worsening debt crisis.