Whether you are a fan of the Royal Family or not, Prince William and Kate’s wedding is responsible for a huge increase in the number of Brits heading overseas this April, according to online travel giant TravelRepublic.co.uk.

The company is reporting that large numbers of sun-starved Brits are desperate to use the run of bank holidays as an opportunity to head to sunnier climes – the Easter break, May bank holiday and extra day off for the wedding mean that for many people, 3 days annual leave gives them 11 days off.

The top ten Royal Wedding destinations are:

1 Majorca                 Up 78.7%
2 Tenerife                 Up 146%
3 Costa Blanca           Up 65.3%
4 Costa Del Sol           Up 181.6%
5 Algarve                 Up 57.1%
6 Lanzarote               Up 49.6%
7 Fuerteventura           Up 59.2%
8 Florida                 Up 14.3%
9 Marmaris, Turkey       Up 10.8%
10 Gran Canaria           Up 41.8%

Source: TravelRepublic.co.uk sales data over the Royal wedding weekend for 2011 versus 2010, for stays of 4 nights or more.

The good news for those heading abroad is that, in many destinations, they can still see Kate and Wills say ‘I do’. Parties and special screenings are being arranged in many places around the world. Globally, it is estimated that over a billion people will tune in to watch the wedding on TV.

Paul Furner, Managing Director, commented “Sales are up by an astonishing 59.3% over the same period last year.  The run of bank holidays, and the fact that the Royal Wedding is being screened and celebrated in lots of places outside of the UK, has been too much to resist. Equally, we are also seeing strong demand from those wanting to escape the celebrations completely!”