Brits prefer to get away from it all for Christmas

Despite hard times, the British are spending more on festive short-break getaways this year than any other Europeans apart from the French.

UK tourists are forking out an average of £460 per person on Christmas and New Year short breaks, according to lastminute.com.

This is well above the European average of £373 per person, and just behind the French figure of £481 per person.

The statistics, which take into account flights and accommodation, show that the Irish are paying £371 for their festive short breaks, but the Germans are only prepared to part with an average of £277 for their getaways.

For UK travellers, Paris is the most-booked festive short-break destination, while for the Irish, the most popular spot is Barcelona.

London is the favourite new year spot for the Spanish and French, while stay-at-home Germans prefer Berlin.