Despite the recession, some three million people will be heading off on a May holiday break this weekend, and 1.6 million people are going abroad.

Schools are shut from April 27 to May 5, and many families are planning to spend at least part of the time away from home, the NBTC tourist board says

Compared with last year, more people have planned a May break, but not as many are going away as in 2010, the NBTC said.

In total, 250,000 people are heading for the sun, an increase of 28% on a year ago. Turkey is up 40% in popularity. Greece is second on the list with a 29% increase in bookings.

Of the 1.4 million people holidaying in the Netherlands, one-third are heading for holiday parks, but camping and caravaning is also increasingly popular.