A new survey has revealed that the most in demand destination for families looking to get away over the half-term break is the USA.

Other long-haul locations such as the Caribbean, New Zealand, Canada and Australia were also rated highly in the study by the Post Office.

Nearly two-thirds of the 42 per cent of parents who picked the USA said they most wanted to visit Florida, while families looking for something more adventurous plumped for destinations such as Chile, China, Fiji and San Diego.

Helen Warburton, head of travel services for the Post Office, said the survey revealed that many parents were looking for plenty of sun and sand over the half-term holiday - things that are more likely to be available in tropical destinations rather than in Europe at this time of year.

"With the strong spending power of the pound, US dollar destinations like the USA and the Caribbean are bound to be popular," she added.

"But with UAE destinations such as Dubai and China showing surges in popularity over the past year, we expect to see more long-haul destinations figuring in the top ten next year."

A recent study by the Civil Aviation Authority found that the most popular leisure destinations for travellers last year included Edinburgh, New York, Malaga and Amsterdam.

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