Getting away from the madding crowd

A dramatic upsurge in bookings for pre-Christmas breaks abroad has prompted hopes of a recovery for the travel industry.

Following a disastrous two years blighted by the Iraq war, Sars virus and September 11, short break operators say there is at least a 10 per cent upturn in the industry's fortunes this winter.

New York alone has seen a dramatic rise in Christmas tourism from the UK, leaping from 12th place in the list of top shopping destinations in 2002 to number five this year. Paris Disneyland-and Paris have both maintained their places as the number one and two destinations.

Ian Ackland, of leading operator Cresta said: "People now have a lot more confidence to travel and a bit of pent-up energy because they have held off for so long."

Sean Tipton of the Association of British Travel Agents added: "After a fairly disappointing summer it's very pleasing to see that bookings for this Christmas are going very well."

The German cities of Cologne, Berlin and Hamburg are also receiving a seasonal boost in UK visitors.