One in five Brits planning to travel abroad in the next 12 months want to visit the US, according to ABTA research.

New data from the association reveals pent-up demand, with 18% of those planning a holiday saying they will visit the States, which has opened its borders to UK travellers today for the first time in 20 months.

The US was the second most-popular destination among Brits before the pandemic, but was overtaken last year by France, when the US borders were closed. Spain remains number one for Brits.

ABTA Chief Executive Mark Tanzer said: “British holidaymakers are now able to enjoy a long-anticipated break in the USA again. The reopening of travel to the US is a very welcome development.

“The USA is currently the second most popular destination on holidaymakers’ wish list for the next year. Pre-pandemic figures show that 4.8 million UK travellers visited the destination in 2019.”