Online travel provider Beat the Brochure has charted a significant surge in the number of people booking holidays to Europe. Basing its analysis on recent sales figures, the company found that British travellers are heading on holidays to Crete, the Canary Islands, Spain and other continental destinations in much greater numbers this year.

Beat the Brochure also based its conclusion on numbers taken from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), who found that the rate of international arrivals in Europe rose by six per cent in January and February of 2011. According to Beat the Brochure, these numbers closely reflect their own.

Daniel Ox of Beat the Brochure says: “During the first four months of the year we saw a significant surge in travel to European destinations. This owed to numerous factors including the economic resurgence and the harsh winter, indeed many people fled to warmer spots to escape the weather. This is excellent news as it shows that the travel industry is beginning to rebound in the wake of the recession, and we expect that Brits will go on more and more holidays as economic conditions improve.”

According to Ox, Beat the Brochure’s customers primarily concentrated on warm European destinations. He comments: “The surge we saw this winter was largely driven by people booking holidays to the likes of Tenerife, the Balearics and the Greek Islands. Given the ferocious winter experienced by most parts of the UK this is no great surprise - we are just thankful that so many people had the opportunity to escape to more pleasant climes.”