Holiday bookings have seen a significant increase this month, partly as a result of Britons looking to beat the winter blues, it has been claimed.

Accommodation site alpharooms.com said it experienced an 84 per cent rise in reservations this week compared with last year, with Malaysia, Mexico and the Caribbean proving particular popular among sun-starved Britons.

The website also noted that Dubai, Penang, Singapore and Cape Town look set to be the most popular long-haul destinations for 2008 overall, as well as short-haul locations such as the Balearics and the Costas in Spain.

"Brits are keener than ever to guarantee themselves some good weather following the rainy summer we had last year," remarked Gareth Hockey of alpharooms.com.

"We believe these record bookings are due to people returning to work and logging onto holiday websites ... as a way to escape the post-Christmas blues."

January is a traditionally busy time for Britons to book their summer holidays. However, growing numbers of travellers are increasingly seeking to get away in the winter, according to the Association of British Travel Agents, which recently said it saw winter bookings soar by half a million in 2007 compared with 2006.

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