Leading online travel agent On the Beach saw a significant rise in bookings for summer 2010 during the Christmas period, with the Spanish Canary Islands proving the most popular destinations amongst sun starved Britons.

December 28 was by far the busiest day for bookings during the Christmas period as dreams of sand, sea and sunshine saw bookings rise more than 35% compared to the same day in 2008.

Along with the Canary Islands of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, Egypt and Turkey (the latter being the most popular destination for summer 2009), are both proving popular for 2010, mirroring the trend for last season.

Early indications also suggest that compared to 2009, the North African destinations of Tunisia and Morocco will welcome more British holidaymakers in 2010.

Furthermore, of all bookings made during December,  42% were for travel during summer 2010, which is further proof that holidaymakers are determined on taking a summer holiday next year.

However, research by On the Beach also suggests that whilst holidaymakers will be travelling during next year’s Fifa World Cup, British holidaymakers are being careful not to travel on the dates England are playing their important group matches. England play their matches on July 12, 18 and 23 and early flight bookings for travel on these dates are down by an average of 40%.

Alistair Daly, Marketing Director at On the Beach says, “The festive season has been very busy at On the Beach as money conscious holidaymakers have been eager to snap up the best end of year deals on offer. Our bookings suggest that 2010 will be a better year for Spanish destinations and whilst most of us will not be travelling to South Africa to follow England during the World Cup, it’s clear that many Brits will be cheering on the Three Lions from the comfort of a beach bar in the sun.”