"I'll be Home for Christmas, but I'd Rather be on the Beach"

EDINBURGH, Scotland, December 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

22nd December set to be the busiest getaway day of the year reveals Skyscanner

One in five Brits would rather go away than spend Christmas at home this year, according to a survey by leading travel search site Skyscanner.

Yet, compared with Europe, the British are still traditionalists at heart - in a poll of over 14,000 European travellers, 41% are looking to get away from it all this Christmas. And across Europe, Saturday 22nd December looks set to be a busy day at the airports - Skyscanner has seen more flight searches for departures on this date than for any other day of the year.

Each year, more than 4.3m[*] Brits head abroad during the festive period. Leading the drive for sun and sand are those from Manchester and Liverpool with 28%. Although, after record levels of rain hit those living in the South West this summer, 23% of people from the region are keen for a spot of sun this mid-winter.

However, not everyone would be happy to trade a good old traditional Christmas with family and friends for a picturesque paradise; only 4% of Northern Irish travellers would choose to go abroad rather than celebrate at home.

For those looking to get away, the much loved island of Tenerife is proving as popular as ever as the top UK getaway destination this festive season. However, for many it will be a long-haul Christmas as Thailand (Bangkok), USA (New York), UAE (Dubai) and Australia (Sydney), make up the top five most popular Christmas destinations.

Skyscanner's Victoria Bailie commented: "While the majority still crave a white Christmas at home, it's a trip to the sun that's at the top of many wish lists this year, with popular sun spot Tenerife the top destination for British travellers. As schools break up for Christmas, the 22nd December looks set to be the busiest day of the year for those planning to fly away, and our research shows that it is the North West that is likely to see the biggest exodus to the sun."

[*]Source: ABTA

About Skyscanner

Skyscanner is a leading global travel search site providing instant online comparisons for millions of flights, from flights to Thailand to flights to USA as well as car hire and hotels. Founded in 2003 by three IT professionals, Gareth Williams, Barry Smith and Bonamy Grimes, Skyscanner is the no.1 travel search website in Europe and no.3 worldwide, receiving 30 million visits per month. The site is available in 30 languages and its suite of free mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry have been downloaded over 11 million times. The company employs close to 200 staff and has its global headquarters in Edinburgh, UK with Asia Pacific hub offices in Singapore and Beijing and future expansion planned to capatalise on huge global growth.

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