Hot 2023 holidays: Flight prices for Madeira drop 22% – searches for Jacksonville trips rise 570%

Some of the hottest destinations for Britons for 2023 have been revealed, with the shortlist including Madeira, Melbourne, Jacksonville and Minneapolis.

According to a study by a flight comparison website, Madeira and Melbourne are next year’s two ‘best-value destinations’ as return economy flights from the UK have dropped 22 per cent and 19 per cent respectively, with the average price for the former £130 and the latter £1,334.

Jacksonville in Florida is No.1 in the table for ‘top family destination’, with searches for the city up 570 per cent, while the city of Minneapolis is No.1 for ‘top couples destination’, with searches for it surging by 409 per cent.

According to a Skyscanner study, Madeira is the ‘best-value’ destination for Britons for 2023 as return economy flight prices from the UK to the island have dropped by the most – 22 per cent

Melbourne is No.2 in the ‘best-value destination’ list, with flight prices having dropped by 19 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels

All the tables in the study, by Skyscanner, are top 10s, with the top five of the ‘best-value’ list comprising Sofia in third place with an average price drop since pre-pandemic of 18 per cent (average return flight in 2022 costs £112); Brussels in fourth place (13 per cent drop, £83), and Dublin in fifth place. Prices to the Irish capital have dropped by eight per cent and are now £61.

Making up the rest of the ranking is Albania’s capital Tirana in sixth place (eight per cent drop, £201); Sydney in seventh (seven per cent, £1,455); Belfast in eighth place (six per cent, £110); Paris in ninth (five per cent, £126), and Manila, the capital of the Philippines, rounding out the list in 10th (three per cent, £878).

Data for the ‘top family destination’ ranking came from analysing searches between 2019 and 2022, with the rest of the table comprising Izmir, Turkey (second, with searches up 168 per cent); Madeira, Portugal (third, 123 per cent); Menorca (fourth, 115 per cent); Verona (fifth, 115 per cent); Podgorica, Montenegro (sixth, 81 per cent); Bari in Italy (seventh, 76 per cent); Santorini (eighth, 68 per cent); Palermo in Sicily (ninth, 61 per cent); and Antalya in Turkey (10th, 48 per cent).

Data for the ‘top couples destination’ ranking also came from analysing searches between 2019 and 2022. The rest of the top 10 comprises Preveza, Greece (second, searches up 316 per cent); Santiago de Compostela, Spain (third, 289 per cent); Amman, Jordan (fourth, 195 per cent); Mykonos (fifth, 146 per cent); Pittsburgh (sixth, 131 per cent); Zadar, Croatia (seventh, 127 per cent); Cork (eighth, 97 per cent); Alexandria, Egypt (ninth, 95 per cent); and Tirana (10th, 82 per cent).

The study, part of Sky Scanner’s Travel Trends 2023 report, also revealed that three out of four UK travellers now use a mobile device to plan or book their next trip, with the most popular moment being during work hours or lunch breaks.

Celebrities are the number one source of travel inspiration in the UK, says Skyscanner, with Instagram being the most ‘fomo’-inducing (fear of missing out) – 48 per cent of travellers stated they’re more likely to book a trip if they’ve seen it on the platform.

Jacksonville in Florida is No.1 in the table for ‘top family destination’, with searches for the city up 570 per cent

The city of Minneapolis is No.1 for ‘top couples destination’, with searches on Skyscanner for it surging by 409 per cent

Skyscanner says: ‘For those wanting to get ahead of the Insta trend, [we] can reveal their top spot for 2023 is Amman, Jordan – based on the least amount of Instagram hashtags cross-referenced with a 195 per cent increase in Skyscanner searches.

Skyscanner also points out that 2053 will mark 150 years of the Wright Brothers’ first aeroplane flight.

The flight comparison site says: ‘A lot has changed since then and travellers are expecting significant developments to be mainstream when hitting that milestone in 30 years’ time. One in four people (25 per cent) expect to holiday amongst the stars in their lifetime, climbing aboard spacecraft for Earth sight-seeing day trips to the edge of space and longer trips beyond.’