UK consumers ranked only behind French residents for showing the highest intention of travelling within Europe this summer between 1 June and 31 August, according to analysis of flight searches from research firm Sojern.

The UK accounted for 19% of flight searches for European destinations this summer – only France was higher at 24.1%. Sojern said this pattern of demand was similar to results in February 2019.

Spain continues to be the top destination for European consumers with 46.4% of all flight bookings, followed by Greece, Portugal, France and Italy.

The UK as an inbound destination has seen a fall in confidence, however – dropping from fourth place in 2019 to sixth place currently as it is now accounting for just 3.4% of all flight bookings (down from 12.4% two years ago).

Sojern also noted that there were so far no peak departure dates for summer 2021 based on current bookings, which it said could be down to the current uncertainty around travel during the ongoing pandemic.

“Regional flight searches highlight that there is no clear standout week or date where European travellers are intending on departing for their holidays,” said the company.

“This could be due to the volatility of travel at the minute with lockdowns still in place, so travellers are unsure of when destinations will be open, or when travel will be allowed.”