- The top spot was taken by Wakefield, with 1,929.79 Greek-related searches per 100k of its population
- Wakefield is closely followed by Hove, Chelmsford and Swansea, respectively
- Santorini, Athens and Corfu take the top three spots as the most in-demand Greek destination by Brits
A new study has revealed that Wakefield is the UK area needing a Greek escape the most.
Travel experts, Acropolis Tickets & Tours, analysed the average number of Google searches each month for various terms associated with Greek holidays, such as ‘Santorini flights’ and ‘Athens holiday’, to find out which areas were commonly searching for these terms.
The number of searches in each area was compared to the population to determine which ones desire a Greek getaway the most.
Additionally, the data revealed which locations in Greece were the most commonly searched by Brits.
Wakefield has been revealed to be the most in need of the Mamma Mia lifestyle, with 1,929.79 Greek-related average monthly searches per 100k of its population. Their top-searched locations were Santorini with 231.16 searches, Crete with 157.83 searches and Corfu with 155.44 searches.
Hove took second place, with 1,881.24 average monthly searches per 100k of its population. They were one of the three areas that put Athens as their top pick with 197.21 average monthly searches. Hove didn’t even have the UK’s top pick, Santorini, in their top three. Instead, they opted for Corfu (165.29 searches) and Crete (157.93 searches).
In third place, Chelmsford just made the podium with 1,743.78 average monthly searches per 100k of its population. They opted for Santorini with 208.63 searches, Crete with 153.09 searches and Corfu with 151.66 searches as their top three.
Swansea was the first city outside of England to appear, coming in fourth with 1,636.93 average monthly searches per 100k of its population. They had similar preferences to Chelmsford with Santorini (195.49 searches), Corfu (147.97 searches) and Crete (138.17 searches) as their top three, but were only one of two areas putting Kos in the top four, the other being Telford.
In fifth was Preston, averaging 1,632.09 average monthly searches per 100k of its population. They were one of the eight UK areas to include Rhodes in their top three most searched locations, with 132.89 searches. However, their first pick was Santorini with 189.01 searches, and second was Corfu with 158.05 searches.
Cheltenham takes sixth place with 1,614.34 average monthly searches per 100k of its population, backing the rest of the country with Santorini (155.97 searches) in its top spot, followed by Corfu with 150.22 searches and Crete with 144.47 searches.
With 1,605.10 average monthly searches per 100k of its population, seventh place goes to Rochdale. The North West town has Santorini in first place with 210.45 searches, Crete in second with 135.70 searches and the less frequent Rhodes with 134.44 searches in third.
Tailing the pack is Worcester in eighth with 1,483.90 average monthly searches per 100k of its population, Mansfield in ninth with 1,462.78 searches and Chesterfield in tenth with 1,451.19 searches.
Overall, Santorini is named the most in-demand Greek destination across the UK with an average of 40,093 searches each month. The capital, Athens, experienced 33,108 average monthly searches and came in second place, and Corfu just made the podium with 31,039 monthly searches.
| Rank | Location | Average Monthly Google Searches (per 100k Population) |
| 1 | Wakefield | 1,929.79 |
| 2 | Hove | 1,881.24 |
| 3 | Chelmsford | 1,743.78 |
| 4 | Swansea | 1,636.93 |
| 5 | Preston | 1,632.09 |
| 6 | Cheltenham | 1,614.34 |
| 7 | Rochdale | 1,605.10 |
| 8 | Worcester | 1,483.90 |
| 9 | Mansfield | 1,462.78 |
| 10 | Chesterfield | 1,451.19 |
Magdalena Petrusic, a travel expert from Acropolis Tickets & Tours, commented on the findings:
“With its selection of picture-perfect beaches, incredible history, long sunshine hours, and rich culture, Greece has cemented itself as one of the leaders in popular holiday destinations.
“Santorini has long proven its attraction to tourists and has secured itself as the ultimate holiday spot in Greece, taking the top spot in almost every UK area. It’s iconic for a reason and will continue to have international visitors looking for an island paradise.”