The falling value of the pound against the euro is forcing many British tourists to soak up the sunshine in Egypt and Turkey rather than Spain and Greece, according to a report.

A survey by the Foreign Office and the Association of British Travel Agents found that the number of people booking a summer holiday in Egypt was up 38% and Turkey was up 32%, even as traditional holiday spots such as Spain remained "stable".

An Abta spokesman said the immediate cause has been the effect of the credit crunch on disposable incomes in the UK and the falling value of the pound against the euro. Increased investment in tourism infrastructure by the governments of countries such as Egypt had also helped make them more attractive destinations.

"You have so many all-inclusive deals at good rates to countries like Egypt, and you spend very little money once you get there, which makes it very attractive," he said.

The number of people booking holidays to Turkey reached 2 million, while 1 million people bought packages to Egypt. This is still well short of the 12 million people who go to Spain every year, but the numbers have been growing steadily.

The Abta spokesman said the eurozone was still the most popular destination by a long margin, with traditional hot spots Spain, Greece and France still going strong. There was even a slight increase in the number of tourists to those countries this year, which Abta attributed to holidays being planned in advance.

"The travel and tourism industry is usually about six months behind economic trends," he said. "The next year will be an interesting one."