Interest in the UK as a holiday destination for mainland Europeans and Americans is increasing according to new data released by cheap flight site Skyscanner. Scandinavia has shown the strongest growth in interest with searches for flights to the UK up 49% in Sweden, 33% in Norway and 31% in Denmark. Germany is close behind with searches from the country to the UK up 30%, followed by the Netherlands which has seen 28% growth. Ireland has seen a 27% growth and Belgium 26% growth; France (+18%), Spain (+18%) and Portugal (+15%) have also all seen some rise in interest, as have the US (+14%) and Italy (+14%).

At the other end of the scale, searches for flights from Poland to the UK have declined since last summer, likely reflecting migration patterns, as fewer Poles are said to be coming to work in the UK since the economic downturn.

Barry Smith, Skyscanner co-founder and director commented: “The UK has always had a huge amount of appeal as a holiday destination and now it’s cheaper for most foreign visitors than it has been for years, with euros, dollars and Krona going further in the UK than they did last summer. Skyscanner’s data shows that other countries are taking advantage of this, with increased interest in flying to the UK.”

Country % change searches for flights to the UK (summer 08 compared to summer 09)
Sweden +49%
Norway +33%
Denmark +31%
Germany +30%
Netherlands +28%
Ireland +27%
Belgium +26%
France +18%
Spain +18%
Portugal +15%
USA +14%
Italy +14%
Poland -14%.