Her Majesty's subjects are looking forward to celebrating her Golden Jubilee in June - by going abroad on holiday, writes Sarah Ryle.

Thomas Cook told The Observer that short break bookings are already up by 29 per cent on last year's Bank Holiday weekend.

Short breaks are typically taken over long weekends in short-haul destinations such as Paris and Rome. This year the traditional late May Bank Holiday has been moved so that the nation can enjoy two consecutive days off, on 3 and 4 June. The school half-term week has also been shifted to include the Golden Jubilee holiday.

Nick O'Donnell of Thomas Cook, which owns tour operator JMC, said bookings for spring half-term to hotspots such as Spain were similar to last year but he added: 'What is remarkable is the number of short-break bookings. People who would not normally go away for the Bank Holiday are taking advantage of the extra day off.'

Thomson Holidays said it, too, had registered an upturn in bookings during Jubilee week.

It may be a blow for Buckingham Palace, but for the travel industry it is a welcome boost. 'Bookings for the summer are not quite as good at this point in the year as we would have hoped,' O'Donnell said.