And the most popular summer holiday destination for Brits is...

Spain has come out as the top destination for British tourists heading off on summer holiday again this year.

And, while that wasn't a huge shock, there were some surprising findings in the top ten, revealed by flight comparison site Skyscanner, with Italy, the Balkans and Greece all rising in popularity.

The USA held on to its number two position showing that Brits are still willing to spend on long haul flights despite tougher economic times, but the third most popular summer destination was Italy which moved up two places compared to last year, displacing Turkey (4th) and overtaking France (5th).

After a summer of civil unrest in 2010, Greece also moved up two places to number six this year.

Portugal fell one place to number seven, Cyprus moved up one to number eight, and the UK also dropped slightly to ninth, suggesting a move away from the 'staycation' trend of last summer.

Croatia moved into the top ten, displacing Thailand which fell one place to number 11.

The full top 100 showed a dip in the beach luxury trend, with Mauritius, Anitgua, and Barbuda all dropping in popularity, and the Seychelles - the royal honeymoon destination of choice - dropped out of the top 100 altogether.

The highest new entry was Kosovo, which went straight in at number 67, and interest in the Balkans, like Serbia, Macedonia, and Bosnia - with its choice of city breaks, mountain retreats, and stunning coastline - shot up in general.

The 10 Most Popular Summer for British Tourists 2011 are:

1. Spain [0]
2. USA [0]
3. Italy [+2]
4. Turkey [-1]
5. France [-1]
6. Greece [+2]
7. Portugal [-1]
8. Cyprus [+1]
9. UK [-2]
10. Croatia [+1]

The numbers in brackets show movement compared to summer 2010. See the full Top 100 Most Popular Summer Destinations for Brits here.

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