FEARS of being caught up in terror attacks abroad have driven millions of Brits to opt for "staycations" this year - giving a much needed boost to the UK economy.

According to travel company Abta there has been "strong sales" for holidays in Devon, Cornwall and the Channel Islands as many people opt for a domestic break.

6 Millions of Brits will opt to holiday in the UK this year rather than go abroad - mainly due to the terror threat Credit: Alamy

6 After a week of blazing hot weather many will be heading off for the school holidays this weekend Credit: Alamy

The move to holidaying at home follows a string of recent terror attacks in once popular destinations such as France, Turkey and Egypt - including the horrific massacre on a beachfront in Nice last week in which 84 people were killed.

Holidays to Egypt have nearly halved following the downing of a Russian passenger plane in October 2015 official figures show, while the number of tourists arriving in Turkey has fallen for nine consecutive months to 1.75 million in April this year.

Twinned with the effect of the falling pound after Brexit on the cost of holidaying in Europe - many Brits now opting to stay home this summer, instead choosing a "staycation" in the UK.

Uncertainty has also come in the last week from the collapsing of travel agent Low Cost Holidays - which has left many fearful of being stranded abroad should their booking firm go bust.

6 People have been put off of going to places in Europe and further afield because of the terror threat, and the cost following Brexit Credit: PA:Press Association

6 Around 2.3 million however are still expected to jet off abroad this weekend Credit: Getty Images

Holidaying at home has grown more and more popular since the beginning of this year - with a record breaking 7.3million people taking a break in England in the first quarter of 2016, up 10 per cent on the same time last year according to Visit England.

Separate research by vouchercodes.co.uk, which sells last-minute discounted holidays, predicts an extra 2.5 million people will decide to holiday at home this year.

Tourism boards across the UK are reporting record-breaking numbers of bookings over the past few weeks - suggesting workers will pump billions of pounds back into the UK instead of spending their cash abroad, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Speaking to the newspaper, Justin Urquart Stewart, economist and director at Seven Investment Management, said: "More people holidaying in the UK will hugely boost our economy at a time when we greatly need it.

"Families spend around 20 per cent of their net incomes on holidays so the impact will be disproportionately large. As demand rises prices of UK AirBnb and hotel rooms will increase very quickly too, however."

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Patricia Yates, Director at Visit England, added: "Britain looks particularly good value at the moment because of the value of the pound. Beach and countryside holidays are growing in popularity and are helped by the rise of glamping and AirBnB."

Mark Tanzer, the firm's chief executive, said this weekend is "one of the busiest in the travel calendar", while the RAC has warned that congestion on the roads caused by the annual end-of-term summer getaway is set to be "dramatically worse" than it was last year.

It's estimated that 14.4 million motorists will embark on car journeys for overnight breaks between Thursday and Sunday, some 5.4 million more than during the same period last year.

Saturday is due to be the single busiest day with 4.5 million journeys for short breaks and longer holidays.

Meanwhile there are still around 2.3 million Brits who ARE set to jet off abroad this weekend as schools break up for the summer holidays.

6 Staycations have grown more popular since the start of this year, with areas like Devon and Cornwall seeing a spike in popularity Credit: Alamy

6 UK airports however are still expecting massive numbers of holidaymakers to come through their doors this weekend Credit: Fame Flynet

According Abta, western parts of the Med have proven the most popular with British holidaymakers travelling overseas this summer.

Bookings to Portugal are up 23 per cent year-on-year, with trips to Spain and Cyprus also in demand.

Abta reports that long-haul destinations have also performed well - with Florida proving to be one of the most popular destinations.

UK airports are expecting high passenger numbers this weekend, with 530,000 jetting off from Heathrow, 350,000 from Gatwick, 128,000 from Stansted and 80,000 from Luton.

Birmingham Airport is set to welcome around 60,000 departing holidaymakers, with 55,000 flying from Newcastle and 15,000 from Cardiff.

The Eurostar, Eurotunnel and ferry ports are also set for a bumper weekend.

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