Brits chose cool, safe holiday spots that wanted tourists in 2024

It's all change when it comes to where everyone visited this summer. British tourists avoided conflicts, climate change and anti-tourist protests, looking further afield for bargains.

The classic holiday destinations Brits love still top the list. Spain's mainland beaches, Canary Islands and Balearics are always the UK's top choices for a summer break. But cementing second and third place now for the third year are Greece and Turkey, with old favourites France and Italy dropping back.

And new travel hotspots proved more popular than ever thanks to new flight routes, good marketing and significant film and TV exposure. We'll talk you through where's up and down this summer.

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Where did everybody go on holiday in 2024?

Greek islands

Places that are keen to attract tourists are on the rise. Some Greek islands have seen massive growth as airlines and tour operators have opened new routes. Tourists visited in the shoulder seasons to avoid the extreme summer heat.

The top rising islands were Crete, Kefalonia and Zante. The Greek mainland proved popular too, particularly Kalamata on the Peloponnese peninsula.

Eastern European cities and beach breaks

Beaches and cities in Eastern Europe continued to rise in popularity in 2024. Albania, Bulgaria, Poland and Montenegro were all up, promising better value for money than holiday spots in Western Europe.

Tivat in Montenegro is up for a second year – by a whopping 156% – as more tourists used it as a base for the Bay of Kotor.

Albania is keen to welcome more tourists. Both Tirana, up 56% from 2023, and the Adriatic Riviera around Vlöre saw more visitors than ever.

Burgas is Bulgaria's big winner, rising 29% from last year. Travellers chose this cooler Black Sea beach resort to avoid the southern Med, which is becoming uncomfortably hot.

North African coastal resorts

North African resorts like Morocco and Algeria did very well this year. Marrakech is up 108%, while Enfidha in Tunisia is up 58%.

Agadir also climbed 36% as tourists searched for cheaper resorts on the North African coast.

Long-haul destinations that want UK tourists to visit

Long-haul destinations actively seeking out UK travellers saw more visitors this summer too.

In East Asia, Shanghai rose 87% and Tokyo 31% after reopening very late from its Covid lockdowns. And Houston in Texas climbed 29% after a publicity blitz and new routes.

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Where did travellers avoid in 2024?

Destinations trying to reduce tourism

Destinations with increasing anti-tourist sentiment and protests saw fewer UK visitors this year.

Venice, which imposed a tourist tax this year, is down 12.3%. Barcelona, which plans to phase out short-term holiday lets by the end of the decade in response to local unrest, is down 6.2%. And Amsterdam, which wants fewer numbers and higher-spending tourists, is down 12.6%.

Even Tenerife, the most popular destination for British travellers, is down 4.9% year-on-year. A drought caused a water crisis, resulting in water restrictions and local protests.

Places caught up in conflict

Some of the biggest falls have been for travellers to Tel Aviv (down 75%) and Amman in Jordan (down 39%), both caught up in the conflict in the Middle East.

And Varadero in Cuba, which was a growing resort break for much of the past three years, has dropped like a stone. It's 67% down year-on-year as direct routes were cut back by the airlines.

Summer favourites suffering heatwaves and overcrowding

While many Greek islands have seen huge rises this year, others are waning in popularity. Corfu's down, and some tourists avoided Santorini thanks to overcrowding in summer. On the mainland, Thessaloniki saw fewer visitors too.

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Top trends for UK travellers this summer

UK airport delays are a thing of the past

Queues, strikes and air traffic control problems caused disruptions the last few summers. But this summer we sailed through the airport.

Even with record numbers of passengers, barely anyone waited more than 15 minutes to get through security. And at East Midlands Airport, not even one person waited 15 minutes to pass security all summer!

Extreme weather caused less disruption…

Climate change continues to change our travel habits. Classic summer hot spots are warming up, with travellers heading there in the shoulder seasons to avoid the extreme heat. And cooler destinations are getting hotter and more popular for a summer getaway.

The tragic wildfires in Athens caught some tourists out, but most managed to avoid extreme weather abroad.

…but was the main reason people switched destinations

Tourists were keen to avoid wildfires and extreme weather abroad this summer. Our survey shows that's the biggest reason UK travellers changed their travel plans.

Half were likely to change their holiday for this reason, making it more important to travellers than anti-tourist protests, conflicts, the wealth inequality crisis and any of the new EU paperwork.

Talking of EU paperwork

UK travellers very briefly enjoyed the chance to visit (some) EU airports without putting their liquids into 100ml bottles. Then a week later, the EU reversed that policy and went back to the 100ml rule.

But for one glorious week, a handful of lucky tourists got to fly with whole bottles of shampoo in their bags. What a time to be alive!

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Our top tips to be the perfect guest abroad

Anti-tourist sentiment is in the news all over the world. That includes the Canaries, Balearics and parts of southern Spain, plus overcrowded cities like Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Venice and Amsterdam.

Holiday Extras wants to help everyone be the perfect guest at home and abroad. We've got advice on destinations that are keen to welcome you, plus where is trying to reduce tourism. We also asked sustainability experts and travel charities how you can enjoy your next trip without increasing anti-tourist sentiment at your destination.