City breaks 'popular at new year'

City breaks are more popular at new year than they are at Christmas, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta).

Trips to cities increase in popularity at the end of the year as partygoers look to visit places "that really know how to celebrate" the occasion, says Abta spokesperson Sean Tipton.

Commenting on Christmas travel trends, Mr Tipton suggests that those getting away from it all during the festive season are generally looking for winter sunshine or guaranteed good skiing conditions, although European cities do offer some ideal destinations for that time of year.

"Short city breaks aren't really that popular around Christmas," he adds. "A lot of people do go to the winter markets in Germany and eastern Europe but city breaks aren't so popular at this time of year - the weather is not great."

Abta represents around 850 tour operations and 6,000-plus travel agencies throughout the British Isles.

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