Paris drops from top-five romantic destinations rankings

In the wake of the city's terror attacks, the French capital has fallen from being Brits' second-favourite Valentine's Day hotspot, to their eighth

Paris seems set to host far fewer UK lovers strolling down its streets this Valentine's Day.

According to the French tourism body, takings in Paris restaurants fell by 21.5 per cent, in hotels by 15.5 per cent and in cafes and bars by 15 per cent last year. And now it ranks behind Amsterdam, Rome, New York, Barcelona, Prague, Reykjavik and Venice, for romantic potential on February 15, according to a recent survey.

While candlelit Parisian dinners may not feature highly on people's Valentine's plans, there is an expected influx of lovers set to hit the canals of Amsterdam. The Netherlands city has been revealed to be the number one destination for lover's this year, followed by Rome and New York, all of which have jumped in the rankings since 2015. Also new to the top holiday choices are Dublin in 10th place, and popular stag spot Budapest weighs in at ninth place.

In addition to Paris suffering in popularity, Disneyland Paris, which came seventh in 2015's Valentine’s Day rankings, has slipped out of the top ten completely.

Marrakech, ranking as the eighth most popular destination last year, has also dropped out of the top 10, which, rightly or wrongly, is probably due to its close proximity to Tunisia and because of Morocco's high threat from terrorism.

The data was compiled according to searches on TravelSupermarket.com for couples leaving London airports for holidays of four nights or less between 11-13 February and coming back between 14-16 February.

TravelSupermarket.com intimated that some couples might like to take another look at where they go for Valentine's Day, pointing out that the hotels there are actually offering some of the best deals.

Prices start at £193.50 per person, it said, with many four-star hotels at three-star prices.

Out of the other popular destinations, those which will also give you some 'bang for your buck' along with a double room, the website said, are Dublin, Amsterdam and Budapest.