The Travel Association estimates that over two million British holidaymakers are set to head overseas over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend of 3-6 April, with Good Friday and Easter Sunday the busiest days for travel.

ABTA says it will also be busy due to Easter being in the middle of the school holidays – with some people returning from a week’s holiday and others heading away. 

Travel this Easter will look a bit different compared to previous years, with the conflict in the Middle East affecting where people can travel, with many people changing their plans and holidaying in Europe instead.

ABTA members report strong bookings for mainland Spain, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Portugal and Greece. City-break destinations are also proving popular, with Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest and Dublin leading the way. As Easter falls early this year, many are also looking to make the most of the last of the season’s snow.

The Association says that those travelling to Europe will have a different experience at passport control – with the Entry/Exit System (EES) in operation at most borders, meaning people will need to register their details in the new system when they get to the border (both when arriving and leaving participating European countries) and may need to provide a facial scan and/or fingerprints as well.

ABTA says people need to factor EES into their travel plans as it is likely to take longer to go through passport control. Travellers should follow the advice of their travel provider regarding EES, particularly in terms of when to arrive for their return journey, and allow plenty of time to go through passport control.