Demand for short holidays in long-haul destinations is on the rise, an expert has said.

While Britons usually travel to far-flung locations for breaks of more than two weeks, an increasing number of holidaymakers are choosing to do so for shorter periods of time, a spokesperson for the Association of British Travel Agents revealed.

She added that it was not uncommon to hear of people taking long weekends in locations such as Cairo and Las Vegas, as well as shopping day trips in New York.

"In the responsible tourism field, people would rather go to long-haul destinations for longer periods of time, rather than short breaks," she commented.

"But there has been a market recently for people to go for two weeks and sometimes even less, depending on where it is."

Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics indicate that overseas visits by Britons rose by one per cent in the 12 months to July.

Visits to North America increased by three per cent during this period, while trips to other parts of the world, excluding Europe, rose by nine per cent.

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