The favourite with UK holidaymakers is also the number one on the Continent, according to flight searches from over 10 million people on a comparison site.

The UK came second followed by the USA, Italy, Germany and France. Here are the full results:Researchers say the global recession.

which has led to an increasing trend for staycations in home countries, has meant the battle for lucrative tourists' spend is even more intense than ever.

The data is largely based on European passengers, though as the sample includes searches from 233 countries, it also indicates favoured destinations globally.

However, Skyscanner, which conducted the research, accepts its non-European sample is not as comprehensive. Barry Smith, from Skyscanner, says: "International tourist arrivals have increased after last year's downturn, with varied but positive growth in all world regions."