Data from Cheapflights on travel trends
New research looking into holiday trends has shone a light on the affordability and popularity of certain destinations. Data from UK-based travel metasearch engine Cheapflights, spanning 2.1 million flights booked on the website between August 2015 and July 2016, shows that the most searched-for destination was Spain. The cheapest place to fly to from the UK is Ireland, which was followed by the Netherlands and then Denmark.
The research found that when it comes to long-haul visitors, flights to the United Arab Emirates are the cheapest, followed by flights to Iran, and then Hong Kong. The data showed that the cheapest day to fly seems to be Tuesday, and the most expensive is Sunday.
Managing director of Cheapflights Andrew Shelton said the company can use the data to make predictions for travel in 2017. “Whilst the data showed us that we can expect the US to remain popular, it only ranks 11th in long haul affordability, and is some 10 per cent more expensive than its neighbour, Canada,” he said. “2017 could also be when Iran finally starts to come in from the cold. British Airways and Air France have added flights this year, and our data shows Tehran to be cheaper than more traditional ‘exotic’ destinations for Brits like Hong Kong, Singapore or Bangkok.”