ABTA is predicting a leap in the number of people booking a holiday following England’s defeat at the hands of Croatia in the World Cup.

The England team has performed better than many people anticipated in Russia and thousands of proud fans will have delayed their holiday plans, preferring to stay at home and show their support for Gareth Southgate and his team. However, the travel industry knows from past experience that once the England football team’s involvement in a major tournament comes to an end, thoughts quickly turn to booking a holiday.

With very high temperatures from the last few weeks forecast to drop, returning to more average levels for this time of year, more people are now expected to look for a last minute overseas break.

Holidaymakers will still find guaranteed sunshine in our favourite Mediterranean holiday destinations with the added advantage of the option of a hotel pool or the sea to cool down in. Temperatures in popular destinations such as Spain, Turkey and Tunisia are set to hit 30 degrees next week with uninterrupted sunshine. Temperatures in diving favourite Hurghada in Egypt are predicted to hit 40 degrees.

ABTA is expecting UK destinations to prove popular once again this year. So far, the British heatwave has seen people flock to the sea, with traditional seaside resorts such as Llandudno, Eastbourne and Bournemouth drawing large numbers of British holidaymakers this summer.

Victoria Bacon, Director of Brand and Business Development at ABTA said:

“The England team has done the country proud with its performances at the World Cup. Understandably, many football fans preferred to stay at home and follow the team with friends and family but now people’s attention will turn to their summer holiday.

“There are still some great deals to be had from ABTA Members to keep the feel good factor going with a break in the sun or a holiday at home. They won’t last for long – so anyone wishing to head off on holiday should book sooner rather than later.”

Examples of last minute deals from ABTA Members for travel in the next few weeks

Seven nights all-inclusive in Hammamet, Tunisia, from £552 per person. Based on two adults sharing staying at a four star resort on an all-inclusive basis, flying from London Gatwick on 15^th July 2018.

Seven nights self-catering in Tenerife from £1,504 for a family of four. Based on two adults and two children sharing, staying at a four star Resort on a self-catering basis, flying from Birmingham on 17^th July 2018.

Seven nights all-inclusive in Antalya, Turkey, from £637 per person. Based on two adults sharing, staying at a four star adult-only resort on an all-inclusive basis, flying from Leeds Bradford on 19^th July 2018.

Seven nights half board in Izmir, Turkey, from £460 per person. Based on two adults sharing, staying at a four star suite on a half board basis, flying from Manchester on 20^th July 2018.

Seven nights self-catering in Crete, Heraklion Area, Malia, £359 per person. Based on 2 adults sharing self-catering departing from Manchester on 8^th August.

Seven nights self-catering in Cyprus, Paphos Area, £629 per person. Based on 6 sharing self-catering departing from Newcastle on 1^st August includes car hire

Seven nights self-catering in the Costa Brava, £539 per person.Based on 6 sharing self-catering departing from London Stansted on 3^rd August.

These holidays were available as of Tuesday 10 July 2018.

When booking your holiday, look out for the ABTA logo. By booking with an ABTA travel company you can travel with confidence and access a range of support, protection and expertise should you need it. Check if you’re booking with an ABTA travel company on www.abta.com/find-a-member   

ENDS

For further information, contact:

press@abta.co.uk

Muireann Kirby, Senior Media Relations Executive, tel: 020 3117 0531

Sean Tipton, Media Relations Manager, tel: 020 3117 0513

Out of Hours:  Contact the Duty Press Officer via pager: 07623 951 339

Web: www.abta.com

Twitter: @ABTAtravel

Notes to editors

ABTA has been a trusted travel brand for over 65 years. Our purpose is to help our Members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably, and to help their customers travel with confidence.

The ABTA brand stands for support, protection and expertise. This means consumers have confidence in ABTA and a strong trust in ABTA Members. These qualities are core to us as they ensure that holidaymakers remain confident in the holiday products that they buy from our Members.

We help our Members and their customers navigate through today's changing travel landscape by raising standards in the industry; offering schemes of financial protection; providing an independent complaints resolution service should something go wrong; giving guidance on issues from sustainability to health and safety and by presenting a united voice to government to ensure the industry and the public get a fair deal.

ABTA currently has around 1,200 Members, with a combined annual UK turnover of £37 billion. For more details about what we do, what being an ABTA Member means and how we help the British public travel with confidence visit www.abta.com.