The number of overseas breaks taken by Britons in 2015 went up by 9% to 42 million, compared to 38.5 during the previous year, according to the latest travel figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

It was the first time that the number of holidays abroad has exceeded 40 million annual mark since 2008 when British residents took 45.5 million overseas breaks, which was a record year for outbound tourism from the UK.

The number of holidays abroad dropped to as low as 36.4 million in 2010, although that year’s figures were affected by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud crisis when flights were shut down for several days.

The final ONS quarterly figures for 2015 showed that UK residents made a total of 13.4 million visits aboard between October and December including holidays, business trips and visiting friends and family, which was an increase of 10% year-on-year.

The amount spent on these trips also rose by 9% over the same period to add up to £7.6 billion. These figures included a 9% increase in holidays to 8 million for the quarter, up from 7.4 million the previous year.

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer called the ONS figures “very positive” as they showed that the increased confidence of UK holidaymakers.

“This is a clear indication that consumer confidence is strong once again, following the significant falls in passenger numbers we saw due to the financial crisis of 2008,” added Tanzer.

“The booking trends for 2016 are also looking positive, making it imperative that holidaymakers plan ahead and book early to get the widest choice and best value.”

The peak summer school holiday month of August saw a 7.1% increase in UK outbound tourists last year with 6.2 million trips compared to 5.8 million in August 2014. July saw a 13.8% year-on-year rise in holidays to 4.9 million.

The number of business trips overseas by UK-based travellers rose by 6% in 2015 to 7.2 million, compared to 6.75 million visits the previous year. The peak for business trips from the UK came in 2006 when there were 9.1 million visits abroad.

The ONS figures are based on the International Passenger Survey which interviews up to 800,000 people per year at major airports, ports as well as Eurostar and Eurotunnel terminals.