Spain is county's favourite holiday spot

A total of 10,674 Salopians travelled to the Spanish holiday island last year, according to new figures released from the airport.

And it seems Shropshire holidaymakers can't get enough of all things Hispanic, with five of county's top 10 short-haul destinations being in Spain.

Alicante, on the Costa Del Sol, was the county's second favourite destination, with 9,927 people making the journey.

Gran Canaria, famed for its all-year-round sunshine, came third with 8,223 Salopians making the journey.

The Portuguese capital Lisbon came fourth, attracting 7,314 visitors, followed by the Greek island of Corfu on 6,456, and Malaga on 6,415.

But not all Shopshire folk are sun seekers. Icelandic capital Reykjavik and Geneva in Switzerland took seventh and eighth spots in the short-haul table.

Reina Sofia aiport in southern Tenerife was the ninth most popular short-haul destination, followed by the Faro in the Algarve.

For long-haul flights, it seems the Americas are the destinations of choice for Shropshire folk.

Orlando was the most popular destination, with 5,968 visitors from the county making the flight from Manchester. New York's John F Kennedy airport came second, with 5,488 visitors.

Cancun, on the east coast of Mexico was the third most popular long-haul destination, attracting 4,491 visitors.

The Caribbean islands were also popular, with Bridgetown in fourth place, attracting 3,440 visitors from Shropshire, and Montego Bay in Jamaica coming eighth, with 1,461 passengers.

Chicago was the fifth-most popular long-haul destination, with 1,974 visitors from the county, followed by Singapore with 1,627, and Toronto with 1,479.

Goa, with 1,166 visits, and Dubai, with 1,131, made up the rest of the to 10.

For Welsh passengers, Orlanda was the most popular destination followed by Los Angeles.

Nationally, Orlando was the most popular destination with the aiport's users, attracting more than half a million passengers each year.

But there were notable regional differences, with Houston being most popular with Scots due to its gas and oil links, while San Francisco offers a vital connection to the technology centres in Leeds and Manchester.

Julian Carr, aviation director at Manchester Airport, said: “It is interesting to see the mix of destinations and how they differ from county to county across our vast catchment area."

He added that the airport would be adding Seattle to its list of destinations this year.