As expected, Spain remains a popular choice, with the Balearic Islands, Canaries and coastal resorts of the mainland leading the way, Abta said.

It added that Portugal and Turkey had also sold well, while city breaks in Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Paris and New York also topping the list for getaways.

Abta said its members were also reporting strong sales to domestic beach resorts and the Channel Islands for the bank holiday weekend.

Some 550,000 passengers are expected to depart from Heathrow, 270,000 from Gatwick, 145,000 from Stansted and 87,000 from Luton.

Outside of London, Manchester will see 175,000 flying out, while 73,000 are set to depart from Birmingham and 50,000 from Bristol. Some 150,000 will leave from Scottish airports.

Hundreds of thousands will also be leaving the country from other regional airports, ports and the Channel Tunnel. Eurostar will be extremely busy with 75,000 Brits set to enjoy a late summer break in France, Abta added.

Chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “This weekend is always one of the busiest of the year with hundreds of thousands taking advantage of the long bank holiday weekend to head overseas for some guaranteed sunshine, or to enjoy the UK’s beautiful countryside and vibrant cities.

“With the pound still high against the Euro many Brits will be taking advantage of cheaper prices in the Eurozone resorts.”