Malaga is the favourite sun destination for Irish holidaymakers with almost 29,000 flights booked to date, according to new data released by Visa Europe.
The results show the top 10 destinations for Irish people travelling abroad based on bookings made by Irish Visa debit and credit cardholders.
The UK remains the most popular destination with Heathrow (first), Gatwick (second), Stansted (fourth), Manchester (sixth), Birmingham (seventh) and Edinburgh (eighth) taking up six spots in the top 10 destinations list.
Apart from business travel, this has been primarily driven by people travelling for rugby and soccer matches, as well as the Olympics.
The remaining places in the top 10 are made up of destinations in continental Europe – Malaga (third), Faro (fifth), Paris (ninth) and Alicante (10th).
“The popularity of the FA Premiership, Six Nations and European rugby fixtures has seen demand surge for UK destinations this year,” said Conor Langford, vice-president Ireland, Visa Europe.
“The poor weather this summer has also meant that sun destinations like Malaga, Faro and Alicante remain popular with Irish holidaymakers.”
