British tourists ditch Spain and pick surprise country as new favourite hotspot

British tourists are starting to snub the Canary and Balaeric Islands in favour of Turkey, according to a shock new travel report.

On the Beach’s second annual Summer Sun Report has seen Turkey named “the number one holiday hotspot for Brits” after it topped the table for beach package holiday destinations.

On the Beach, one of the UK’s leading online retailers of beach holidays, said that it is the first time in 20 years that the Canary Islands and Spain have not topped the table.

The league table shows 21 percent of beach holiday package bookings chose Turkey. Around 19.5 percent of holidaymakers went to the Canary Islands, 18 percent to the Spanish mainland and 14.1 percent to the Balearic Islands.

Greece came fifth in the table, with 11 percent of British holidaymakers, while Egypt saw a significant jump to three percent of beach package bookings.

Turkey moved from third place to first place in just one year after an 18 percent increase in bookings.

This comes amid a wave of anti-tourist protests across the Canary and Balearic Islands, blaming the influx of tourists for rising house prices and a declining quality of life. It is thought that the growing backlash is putting off many tourists.

Zoe Harris, the chief customer officer for On the Beach, said Turkey is “officially the King of summer and the number one holiday hotspot for Brits”.

She added: “This shift marks a momentous moment, when Turkey finally takes its place at the top table of beach package holiday destinations.

“These shifts are significant, it shows that the once ‘go to’ destinations of Tenerife, Lanzarote and Benidorm, although still incredibly popular, are being joined at the top by the likes of Antalya, Hurghada and Dalaman.”

Turkey also topped the most affordable all-inclusive beach holiday destination as the cheapest spot for 4 and 5-star holidays.

The average price for a seven-night, all-inclusive holiday comes in at £520 per person.

Tunisia came second with £560, while Greece and mainland Spain offered an average price of £580.

The Canaries and Balaerics are at the bottom of the table with a pricer average week-long stay coming in at £750.

The beach holiday retailer suggested that even long-haul destinations like Mauritius, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Maldives had great prices on average this year. 

The number of UK tourists visiting Turkey rose by 19 percent in the first six months of 2024 to reach almost 1.8 million.

Tourism minister Mehment Nuri Ersoy said that the first six months’ results confirmed Turkey’s commitment to its year-end total target for 60 million visitors and £47 billion in tourism revenues.