Fuerteventura tops Thomson sunshine index

EUROPE__MEDITERRANEAN_SPAINCONESP_FUERTEVENTURA_CORRALEJO

As the UK grinds to a halt under a flurry of snow, Fuerteventura (above) has come top of a ‘sunshine index’ to find Europe’s top sun spot.

The research by Thomson Holidays has the Canary Island in first place with an average of 10.8 hours of sunshine throughout the year, followed by Tenerife, Cyprus, Southern Spain and Lanzarote.

The index comes on the back of research by Thomson that shows half (52%) of Brits believe that summers at home are getting worse each year. It also shows that more than a third (37%) of holidaymakers admit their main reason for travelling abroad is to enjoy sunshine which they can’t be certain of getting in the UK.

So much so, that almost half of Brits (45%) go online daily in the lead up to their holiday to get excited about how warm it will be on arrival.

The Sunshine Index will be particularly useful for holidaymakers jetting off outside of the peak season, as it includes a breakdown of hours of sunshine per season. For example, it shows that the Canaries is great for winter sun while Greece, Portugal and Turkey all make excellent sunny getaway destinations for spring.

With more than a quarter of Brits (26%) admitting that good weather is the most important factor in contributing to their holiday happiness, it seems the lack of sunshine in the UK is having a negative effect on the nation’s mood.

GP, Dr Rob Hicks says: “The weather impacts many parts of life; behaviours as well as emotions are affected. We feel happier when the sun is shining and tend to get out and about much more. Thomson’s research shows that more than two thirds (68%) of people go out less often in bad weather and 14% let friends and family down by cancelling plans. More than a third (34%) say they can’t be bothered to get up in the morning and, startlingly, almost one in every twenty (4%) doesn’t go into work as they can’t face the journey.”

To see the full index, visit www.thomson.co.uk/blog/weather.pdf

Country/region/island Winter Spring Summer Autumn Overall average
Fuerteventura 8.75 11 13 10.5 10.8
Tenerife 8 9.5 10 9.5 9.25
Cyprus 5.75 8.5 12 10 9
Southern Spain 6 11 11-12 5-6 8.5
Lanzarote 7 8 10.5 7.5 8
Malta 4-6 10 11 6 8
Southern France 5 8 11 7.5 8
Greece 4-5 10-11 10 4-5 7
Italy 3-4 7-10 10-11 6 7
Portugal 5-6 10 9 5 7
Turkey 2-3 9 11-12 4 6.75
Croatia 3 6 9 5 5.75
Czech Republic 3 7 7 3 5