Summer holidays 'non-negotiable'

Tom Hall, Editor of the popular Lonely Planet travel guides, has said that British people are continuing to book holidays despite the fact that money may be tighter than usual thanks to rising fuel and utility prices.

"There are signs that the late bookings market is strong; I think people see holidays as a non-negotiable thing," he commented.

He added, however, that it remains to be seen whether people will cease taking additional short breaks on top of their annual two-week holiday in a bid to cut costs.

Mr Hall also commented that savvy travellers can still go abroad cheaply by booking destinations away from the usual hotspots in Europe.

"I think people are increasingly aware that if you want real value when you are in your destination you need to get outside of the eurozone and that can mean mid-haul or long-haul. I think people are aware that there is real value available there," he said.

Indeed, figures from the Association of European Airlines showed that the South Atlantic continued to register growth in passenger numbers, as did the Middle East, with 10.3 and 6.9% growth respectively.

Meanwhile, International Air Travel Association research found world passenger numbers to be up by 3.8% as a whole for the same month.