Need a holiday? Here's some inspiration for where your next summer holiday or city break might take you from Belfast this year!

With the January blues well and truly kicking in, it's time to book a holiday from Belfast!

Well...there’s no harm in getting some inspiration for where your next summer holiday or city break might take you this year!

With 10 new destinations going from Belfast International and George Best Belfast City Airport over the last 12 months as well as Jet2.com and Jet2holidays offering over 25 places to go...the options for Northern Ireland holidaymakers are soaring.

On Tuesday, Tripadvisor also announced its first Travellers’ Choice Awards for 2024: Best of the Best Destinations, with Belfast named one of the top 10 sustainable destinations in the world for travel in 2024. And with the New Year being a ‘traditionally very busy booking period for Northern Ireland’, Belfast is one of the most sought-after destinations for the year, according to the travel platform's reviewers.

James Pieslak, a spokesperson for Jet2holidays and Jet2.com, agreed: “With Christmas now behind us, we’re entering what is traditionally a very busy booking period for Northern Ireland holidaymakers who want to book their well-deserved holidays and give themselves something to look forward to.

"With more capacity on sale from Belfast International Airport than ever for this year, we’re already experiencing the usual post-Christmas and New Year rush, and we are looking forward to a very busy and successful 2024.

“As the UK’s largest tour operator, Jet2holidays has an unrivalled programme on sale for this year, with millions of seats and thousands of hotels available across a huge range of destinations in Europe, the Mediterranean and Canary Islands. However, holidaymakers should remember that the best rooms in the best hotels in the best destinations sell fast, as more holidaymakers look to book in advance.

“People continue to see their holiday as a right to have and an essential purchase, and our reputation for doing the right thing and delivering award-winning customer service is resonating with them.

“With the weather in Northern Ireland continuing to be cold, wet and gloomy, the thought of getting away from it all is very much at the front of people’s minds and they are looking ahead when it comes to their holidays.

“Whilst we are seeing fantastic demand across the board, favourites such as the Canaries, Spain, Greece, Turkey, the Balearics and Cyprus are doing as well as ever. We’re also seeing lots of demand for destinations such as Italy, Croatia, and Malta.”

And with major expansion plans to Belfast International, things are only going to get bigger and better. A Belfast International spokesperson, explained: “Major £100m plus investment over the next five years. Phase one of the program is currently underway, with the construction of a new security building adjacent to the current terminal building.

"This ultra-modern £25million facility will transform the passenger security experience by implementing the required Standard 3 Xray screening equipment, meaning passengers will no longer have to remove liquids or electronics from their luggage. The new building will be operational by Summer 2024.

“VINCI Airports’ investment plan will also revamp existing facilities, improve airside departure area with additional departure gates and extra seating. Shopping offering will include new catering and retail outlets and the immigration area will also be extended over the next five years.”

Meanwhile following a bumper Christmas period and over 30 destinations to choose from Belfast City Airport is also flighting high this summer.

Katy Best, commercial director at Belfast City Airport, added: “Christmas was an extremely busy time of year at Belfast City Airport with up to 10,000 passengers travelling through the terminal every day and now with the New Year well under way, we are excited to launch the new sunshine routes that were announced last year.

“In May and June we will be commencing flights to Alicante and Palma de Mallorca with easyJet, bringing the total number of routes operated by the airline to eight, and we’re confident that these will be popular with sunseekers and holiday makers alike.

“This builds on our portfolio of European destinations, with Lufthansa operating a service to Frankfurt and KLM’s flights to Amsterdam, not to mention the record number of charters we will see take off to sunshine destinations throughout 2024.

“This includes Travel Solutions operating charters to Menorca, Reus, Venice, and Palma de Mallorca, giving passengers great value package holiday options to suit all requirements and budgets.

“Additionally, our brand new Aspire Lounge, which opened in July of last year following a £1.2 million investment, offers passengers the opportunity to avail of an even more comfortable and tranquil start to their journey.

“We look forward to welcoming more passengers to Belfast City Airport and getting them to where they need to be for business or leisure throughout 2024.”

So whether it’s sun, sea or snow, 2024 is set to be a busy year with new routes now jetting in and out of the City.

Here’s a look at some of the destinations from Belfast International and Belfast City Airport and when they will be available…

Malta – Looking for spring time sun…? Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are offering an unrivalled programme for 2024 from Belfast International Airport, with 25 destinations on sale. This includes the introduction of three brand-new routes, including Malta which starts on March 28 and goes every Thursday. From April 2, Ryanair will also offer the flights.

Larnaca, Cyprus – EasyJet is set to open this new route to the Cyprus hotspot of Larnaca in summer 2024, from Belfast International Airport. The flights start from May 2 with departures three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays throughout the summer season. On May 16 TUI will also offer flights to Larnaca.

Bodrum, Turkey – Jet2.com and Jet2holidays are also set to introduce flights to Bodrum at Belfast International Airport which starts on May 6 (April) and goes every Monday.

Enfidha, Tunisia – Enfidha is another new one for easyJet from Aldergrove this year. The new route between Belfast International and Enfidha will launch on April 20 with twice-weekly departures on Tuesdays and Saturdays throughout the year. On May 26 TUI will also offer the flights.

Antalya, Turkey – TUI are set to start flights to Antalya in June 21 from Belfast International Airport.

Funchal, Madeira – Another Jet2.com and Jet2holidays new flight is to Funchal (Madeira) which starts on November 4 and goes every Monday at the International airport.

Turin, Italy – Generally not considered to be a huge tourist hotspot, Turin Airport can be a base for skiers to slide on their way to nearby snow resorts. And so it’s another new flight route announced by TUI from Aldergrove in 2024 starting on December 22.

Salzburg, Austria – Another one for ski fans. The new routes will serve renowned ski resorts such as Zell am See and Saalbach in Austria and are being run by TUI from Belfast International Airport. The Belfast to Salzburg flight will operate on Saturdays from December 21, 2024 to March 22, 2025.

Alicante – easyJet takes off on May 2 from George Best Belfast City Airport.

Palma de Mallorca – Another easyjet flight takes off on June 24 from George Best Belfast City Airport.

Menorca – takes off on June 15 from George Best Belfast City Airport with Travel Solutions.

Palma de Mallorca – leaves George Best Belfast City Airport on June 27 with Travel Solutions.

Reus – leaves George Best Belfast City Airport on June 15 with Travel Solutions.

Venice – takes off from George Best Belfast City Airport on June 4with Travel Solutions.

George Best Belfast City Airport also has a charter service that meets demand for direct connections to Royal Caribbean’s cruises in Barcelona and Bologna, taking off on May 18 2024 and May 5 2024 respectively.

All flights are available to book now….so what are you waiting for?