1.6m Brits in Bank Holiday exodus

(26 August 2004)

MORE than 1.6 million Brits will leave the country this Bank Holiday weekend according to ABTA. Friday and Saturday will be the busiest days with 850,000 people escaping from the south-east alone.

Nearly 400,000 will depart from regional airports, including 165,000 from Manchester Airport and 65,000 from Birmingham Airport.

Despite this weekend not being a Bank Holiday in Scotland, 114,000 people will be travelling abroad.

Eurostar has put on an extra eight trains to take 65,000 people to Paris and Belgium, despite planned industrial action.

A further 320,000 holidaymakers will head for France and Spain either by ferry or Eurotunnel. Mediterranean resorts in Majorca, the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, Portugal and the Greek islands remain the favourite destinations for summer holidays, with Italy, Cyprus and Turkey following closely behind.