New figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) have revealed that the number of UK residents travelling overseas between January and March 2011 remained stable.

According to the data, the three-month period was the first quarter since mid-2008 in which the number of overseas visits did not experience a year-on-year decline. Meanwhile, the ONS also found that overseas visitor numbers to the UK between January and March were up by 4 per cent compared with the same period in 2010.

Mike Saul, head of hospitality and leisure and Barclays Corporate, said: "The increase in outbound travellers comes against many headwinds, not least the impact of the Middle East crisis and continued pressure on household budgets. "The summer months will see increased numbers of people biding their time in the hope of last minute summer deals, and we expect like for like figures to remain flat over the coming months."

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