Europe’s busiest airport by passenger volume, London Heathrow Airport is also one of the world’s massively trafficked hubs in terms of international passenger throughput. Just last year, it handled more than 70 million passengers: This means that more than serving residents of London and the United Kingdom, Heathrow Airport also handles passengers who may just be in transit to onward destinations outside of the British Isles.
From London to the World
As London itself is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Europe, it makes perfect sense to plan your European itinerary – or even round-the-world trips – around flights arriving and departing from Heathrow as it connects passengers to capitals and major cities of the world. Heathrow’s busiest flights are to North America and Europe, and there is likewise considerable traffic to Asia, particularly to India, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. The Middle East is also well-represented, with more than a million flights each to the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, if 2010 statistics are any indication.
Just in time for planning where to go in the next few months, travel authorities have weighed in on the hottest destinations for the coming year. Not incidentally, some of their best bets are well-connected to London’s Heathrow Airport.
Travel Authorities’ Best Picks for 2014
Highly-respected National Geographic released their Best Trips for 2014, and this includes more established tourist trails like Australia, the United States, Canada, Portugal and Italy. Expectedly, Heathrow departures to these mainstream destinations are predictable and easily tracked for traveller convenience.
British broadsheet Telegraph UK, on the other hand, named the Philippines as one of their top 20 destinations for 2014 not because of ‘sympathy vote’, but simply because most of the Philippines’ fabled 7,000 plus islands have been spared the devastations of Typhoon Haiyan and are “receiving visitors far fewer than they should.”
Heathrow Departures to Include Manila
Even more good news is the fact that the Philippine capital, Manila, has just been included in the Heathrow departures to connect European visitors directly to the archipelago without layovers in Singapore, Mumbai or Tokyo. From Manila, tourists can then take domestic flights to remote Philippine regions where culture is relatively undiluted and rural scenery better preserved. The Philippines’ giant neighbours to the north, India and China, have also made Telegraph’s list. Flights to Mumbai (India’s most populous city) and Beijing (China’s capital) are well-served by flag carriers and global airline companies.
British and European travellers who want to explore highly recommended destinations close to home would also find Heathrow Airport a convenient launching pad to get to Italy, France, Portugal and less-trodden Russia, Iceland and Poland, as there are plenty of hotels near Heathrow airport to spend their last night while enjoying London, or to stay the night to beat the traffic and to get to the gates on time.