The holiday comparison and deals website said this year was showing a marked contrast with 2018, when there was a strong winter peak but softer summer lates market due to the heatwave and Fifa World Cup.

Icelolly.com said searches for departures between 22 July and 31 August increased by 60.7% in the four weeks ending 15 July versus the previous month.

It said this and the fact the wider market had grown by only 3.3% was a strong indication families had left it later to book this year.

“With many bargains still available for families looking for a beach break in July and August, it’s certainly a buyer’s market,” said Icelolly.com chief executive Richard Singer.

Spain and its islands top Icelolly.com’s searches, but summer 2019 has seen a revival in Turkey, with the value of sterling increasing by 20% compared to this time last year.

Searches for Dalaman and Antalya are up 90.9% and 71.9% respectively over the last four weeks,

Icelolly’s other popular non-EU destinations include Egypt, Mexico, Morocco, Tunisia and the UAE. Although the US takes 10th place, searches are down by 12%.