Spain on the Wane as Skyscanner Reveals Most Popular Easter Destinations for Brits

EDINBURGH, March 18, 2010 - Britain's love for Spain as a holiday destination may be fading, new data
from flight site Skyscanner suggests.

New data from flight site Skyscanner has revealed that the long running
British love affair with Spain may be coming to an end.

Examining flight search data for travel during the Easter holiday period,
Skyscanner found that although Spain remains the most popular country overall
for holidaying Brits, it's not as popular as it was just one year ago.

London is the most searched for destination for Easter travel by UK
travellers. Not only does the city itself have a huge number of attractions
for families and couples, but the capital is also a hub for travellers
heading for destinations outside the UK.

Malaga remained the second most popular place for an Easter break for the
second year running. However, there has been a marked drop in popularity for
Spain compared to Easter 2009. Searches for cheap flights(
www.skyscanner.net/) to Alicante have fallen three places and Palma
dropped out of the top ten altogether.

Meanwhile, searches for flights to Amsterdam
(www.skyscanner.net/flights-to/ams/cheap-flights-to-amsterdam-airport.html)
were up, with the Dutch party capital rising two places. Barcelona held
firm at number three, but the biggest winner was New York. Completely absent
from Easter 2009's top ten, flights to New York
(www.skyscanner.net/flights/lond/nyca/cheap-flights-from-london-to-new-york.html)
were the fifth most popular search for British travellers this
year.

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Remove the space if one exists.)

Dublin remained a firm favourite at eight; Paris fell two places to nine,
whist Geneva, gateway to the Alps, was a new entry at number ten. Europe's
excellent ski season this year has likely led to more people taking a late
ski break. Flights to Berlin
(www.skyscanner.net/flights-to/berl/cheap-flights-to-berlin.html),
Marrakech and Istanbul all featured in the top 20.

Barry Smith, Skyscanner Co-founder and Business Development Director
commented:

"Spain's long domination over the British tourist market may be on the
wane. Whilst it's still the most popular country for an Easter break, it
seems to be falling from favour. Meanwhile, New York has risen massively and
we're seeing less well known destinations such as Marrakech and Istanbul rise
in popularity. UK destinations are also faring well with three in the top 20,
suggesting the 'staycation' trend is alive and well."

    1. London (UK)                   [0]
    2. Malaga (Spain)                [0]
    3. Amsterdam (Netherlands)      [+2]
    4. Barcelona (Spain)             [0]
    5. New York (USA)            [NEW ENTRY]
    6. Alicante (Spain)             [-3]
    7. Rome (Italy)                 [-1]
    8. Dublin (Ireland)              [0]
    9. Paris (France)               [-2]
    10. Geneva (Switzerland)     [NEW ENTRY]

Ranking based on flight searches from UK airports on the Skyscanner site
for travel over the Easter 2010 period. Difference in ranking based on flight
searches for Easter 2009 period.

About Skyscanner:

Skyscanner is a leading travel search site based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Skyscanner provides instant online comparison on flight prices for over
670,000 routes on over 600 airlines, as well as car hire, hotel and holiday
price comparison.

With Skyscanner, users can browse without having to enter specific dates
or even destinations, and Skyscanner is available in 20 different languages
including French, German and Spanish.

www.skyscanner.net

PR Contact: Sam Baldwin, sam at skyscanner.net, +44(0)131-252-5353