Britons continue to flock overseas

Overseas visits conducted by British travellers grew by three per cent during the 12 months to March, according to new figures.

Research from the government's Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that 68.6 million visits were made during this period, up from 66.7 million trips the previous year.

Two per cent more visits were made to destinations in Europe, while locations in other parts of the world, excluding the USA, saw British visits rise by nine per cent.

In addition, British holidaymakers and business travellers were found to spend about £8.1 billion on their trips abroad between January and March 2007, unchanged from the previous quarter.

The news comes shortly after the Official Airline Guide published statistics suggesting that over 2.5 million scheduled flights are set to take off around the world this month - representing a five per cent increase and a record-breaking figure.

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