If you’ve ever landed at Alicante airport and wondered if the entire Home Counties had followed you onto the same flight, you’re not imagining things. The first half of 2025 (and a very busy July) show us exactly where Brits escaped to; by plane, ferry, or even by queuing in their own cars through the Channel Tunnel.
As for us, we slipped off to Philadelphia, proving cheesesteaks are as irresistible as sangria.
Now, with sun cream swapped for jumpers, summer getaways are giving way to autumn breaks. So, grab your virtual passport and let’s count down the top 10 sun-soaked, sangria-soaked, and occasionally rain-soaked destinations to find out just where we all went.
Spoiler: If you escaped on holiday this year, you were definitely not alone.
Dublin – 4.8 million passengers (and counting)
It turns out that Britain’s favourite “international” holiday doesn’t really feel all that international. Dublin clocked nearly five million trips between January and June. Add July’s bumper traffic from Manchester, Stansted, and others, and you can picture it: Temple Bar heaving with hen parties, Grafton Street buskers competing with tourists, and every pub landlord practising their best “another Guinness, is it?”
Did you go to Dublin in 2025? Congratulations, you shared the experience with the population of Scotland. Twice.
Amsterdam – 4.1 million
Ah, Amsterdam. The canals, the bikes, the stroopwafels, and 4.1 million Brits swarming in for selfies by the “I amsterdam” sign. And that was just up to June; July added more. Picture a sea of carry-on suitcases trundling over cobblestones while locals mutter under their breath.
And about that famous “I amsterdam” sign? It no longer lives outside the Rijksmuseum. These days, the main one greets you at Schiphol Airport, while smaller versions pop up across the city. Spotting them is like playing “verstoppertje” (hide and seek).
It’s officially Britain’s favourite continental weekend fling. And yes, you could well run into your neighbour in a “special” coffee shop.
Alicante – 3 million
If you’ve ever thought Alicante was basically a British enclave with extra sunshine, you’re right. Three million of us jetted there in the first half of 2025. By July, Manchester alone sent nearly 100,000 people. Alicante isn’t just a destination – it’s a rite of passage.
Somewhere between the Costa Blanca beaches and the English fry-up cafés, you’ll find the true spirit of Britain abroad: sunburnt shoulders, plastic pint glasses, and the eternal hunt for Wi-Fi.
Dubai – 3 million
Forget Benidorm ‘cos Britain has gone bling. Dubai welcomed three million UK travellers in the first six months, and Heathrow’s July record traffic suggests even more. From duty-free shopping sprees to “look at me by the Burj Khalifa” selfies, Dubai is the modern British holiday calling card.
How crowded was it? Imagine Wembley Stadium. Now multiply its capacity by 33. That’s how many Brits were baking in 40°C desert heat, wondering why they didn’t just stick to Spain.
Malaga – 2.8 million
Malaga: Gateway to the Costa del Sol, home to Picasso, and, now let’s be honest, Britain’s sun-lounger annexe. Brits in Malaga are like seagulls at the seaside; loud, numerous, and in constant pursuit of chips. 2.8 million of us headed here from January–June, before July piled more on top. Stansted and Manchester July reports confirm Malaga stayed in the top three that month.
By August, you could barely squeeze a towel between Torremolinos and Marbella. It’s a ritual sun-soaked pilgrimage involving factor 50 and at least one inflatable flamingo.
Tenerife – 2.7 million
Swap Costa del Sol sangria for volcanic landscapes, and Tenerife, where the weather is reliable, the nightlife boisterous, and every other person you meet claims to “know a great little bar”, gave 2.7 million Brits their holiday fix. July? Manchester sent another 85,000 sun-seekers. Brits don’t just visit Tenerife, they colonise it, complete with Sunday roasts in Playa de las Américas.
Go for the Teide volcano, stay for the full English breakfasts. Just don’t expect a quiet corner of beach, your neighbours from Leeds got there first.
Barcelona – 2.3 million
Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, Gaudí, tapas bars and 2.3 million Brits elbowing each other to photograph La Sagrada Familia. If you thought July would give you a breather, think again: Gatwick and Heathrow only turned up the heat.
Barcelona isn’t just a holiday. It’s a box-ticking exercise. “We did the Sagrada. We did Las Ramblas. We did the beach. Yes, we queued for everything.” Welcome to the shared itinerary of a couple of million compatriots.
Faro – 2 million
Portugal’s Algarve is where two million Brits decided their perfect summer looked like a golf course, a villa pool, or a cliff-top sunset. Faro airport in summer? Think of Gatwick’s North Terminal, but hotter and with more seagulls.
Yes, you might find yourself queuing behind your neighbour from Surrey at the same piri-piri chicken restaurant. That’s the deal. The Algarve is basically Britain’s southern coastline, just with better weather and the eternal question of whether pastel de nata count as one of your five-a-day. The answer, by the way, is yes, at least on holiday.
New York – 1.8 million
It’s the long-haul classic: 1.8 million Brits hopped the pond in the first half of 2025. Heathrow July stats point to even more. From Times Square selfies to Central Park jogs in brand-new trainers, Brits love to play “temporary New Yorker.”
But imagine sharing Manhattan with the entire population of Northern Ireland … and then some. Yes, that’s how many fellow Brits were wandering the streets with Starbucks cups in hand.
Doha – 1.7 million
Finally, Doha sneaks into the top 10 with 1.7 million Brits passing through by June. Many were on their way to somewhere else (Qatar Airways makes it easy), but plenty stopped to explore the Corniche and museums.
By July, Manchester’s stats confirmed Doha as a solid top-10 route. So if you were in Doha airport this summer and thought you recognised half the people in duty free buying a Toblerone, you probably did.
Honourable mentions
Palma de Mallorca deserves a shout-out. It didn’t crack the January–June top 10, but by July it was Manchester’s number one destination and among Stansted’s busiest. Expect Palma to feature in any consolidated list when the CAA eventually catches up.
And then there’s the surface travel
Eurotunnel LeShuttle carried over 1.25 million passenger vehicles January–July 2025, plus 700,000 trucks. And Dover ferries shifted millions more across the Channel.
The moral of the story
In 2025, wherever you went, half of Britain was there too. Dublin’s pubs, Alicante’s beaches, Dubai’s malls, Tenerife’s bars. None were safe from the Great British migration in search of sun, beer, and dodgy Wi-Fi.
So next time you’re in the departure lounge and spot your neighbour, don’t roll your eyes. Just remember, you’re both part of the great herd. Britain abroad is less of a holiday and more of a travelling festival.
And if you want peace and quiet? Maybe try staying home.
Staycation nation: The British Isles’ hottest spots
Of course, not everyone felt like joining the airport security shuffle or battling the M20 to Dover. Plenty of us stayed closer to home, proving that you don’t need a passport to experience overcrowding and overpriced ice cream.
Cornwall continued its reign as the UK’s summer queen, with beaches rammed from St Ives to Newquay. The only thing scarcer than a parking space was an affordable pasty. In Devon, cream teas flew out of kitchens faster than budget airline tickets to Malaga. And over in the Lake District, so many hikers turned up that you could probably walk Scafell Pike without touching the ground – just bounce across the queue of people ahead of you.
Scotland had its own boom: Edinburgh’s festivals returned in full swing, while the NC500 route was basically one long convoy of campervans. In Wales, Snowdonia was so busy that even the sheep looked fed up with tourists. And if you chose London for a “city break at home”? Well, congratulations – you joined millions of international tourists cramming onto the Tube in 30°C heat.
So yes, whether you stayed on these shores or fled to sunnier ones, the theme of 2025 was the same; crowds, queues, and the overwhelming suspicion that your neighbour had exactly the same idea as you.
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Where to next?
• Morecambe: Sunshine, Statues and a Seaside Revival
• Taking your dog abroad on holiday
• Travel Without Limits – Your Accessible Travel Guide