UK families flock to lesser-known locations

While the familiar shores of Europe and North America retain a steady level of appeal, drawing the same numbers of visitors as this time last year, travel elsewhere in the world soared by nine per cent between June 2006 and 2007, the Office of National Statistics revealed.

Dubai, Egypt and South Africa all saw growth in visitor numbers top ten per cent, while India, which this year celebrates 60 years of independence, clocked 15 per cent growth in UK visitor traffic.

Meanwhile, just one per cent more people crossed the Channel to reach the continent than in 2006, while visitor numbers to France fell by a quarter of a million compared to last summer.

By contrast, former French colony Morocco, accessible since 2006 from Glasgow airport, fared best of all, with 37 per cent more visitors this year than last.

Across all destinations, travel numbers rose by two per cent, taking overseas trips to a record 69.5 million in the last 12 months.