Thomas Cook thrives as Greece returns to fashion

We’re all going on a summer holiday — well, 10% of us more than last year — but this time Thomas Cook, rather than Cliff Richard, is singing the song.

Brits are trying to ignore the fact that a Brexit-fuelled plunge in the pound has made a foreign break pricier.

And holidaymakers from across Europe are flocking to Turkey’s and Egypt’s sunbeds once more, despite terror concerns and a violent attempted coup by the Turkish army.

Cook’s summer bookings are up 10% on last year’s, according to chief executive Peter Fankhauser, although he pointed out that sales last year were stymied by terror attacks, in particular a Russian passenger jet which was blown up on its way to St Petersburg from Sharm el-Sheikh.

Other popular destinations include Greece — where Cook boosted its range of breaks this year — Cyprus, Bulgaria, Croatia and Portugal.

In the UK, bookings for summer breaks are the same as last year, but average prices are 3% higher.

Fankhauser added: “Customers’ appetite to go abroad on holiday this summer is good across all our markets despite continued political and economic uncertainty.

"We’re seeing early signs that customers are beginning to go back to Turkey and Egypt. Competition is particularly intense in the airline sector, putting downward pressure on pricing.”

Shares, which rose in the run up to the results, slid 1.7p, or 2%, to 87.7p.