The number of British tourists holidaying in Spain has declined sharply but younger travellers are still flocking to the Costas, it was revealed yesterday.

British bookings to Spain are down more than 20% this year but holiday islands such as Majorca and Ibiza are welcoming an increased number of UK tourists aged under 30.

Majorca has seen a rise of 5% in under-21 British bookers and a 3% increase in those aged 21-30, according to the Co-operative Travel company. The number of bookings by those aged under 30 to Ibiza has increased by 4%.

Co-operative Travel retail distribution director Trevor Davis said: "The decline in bookings to Spain has been a growing trend over the last two years, with Egypt and Turkey the main beneficiaries.

"The Spanish tourist office has responded by attempting to increase its appeal to younger bookers, showing them that there's more to Spain than sun and sangria."

Meanwhile, a new survey says tourists are travelling abroad without telling insurers about medical conditions. As many as 8% of people with medical conditions holidayed overseas in the last 12 months without any travel insurance, a survey by Sainsbury's Travel Insurance found.

The poll found 21% of tourists with pre-existing ailments did not inform their insurance company of their health issues before travelling. Around 21% of those with heart problems, 20% of cancer sufferers and 16% of those with respiratory conditions failed to give details of their health problems.

Cost and fear of refusal were two of the main reasons why people did not tell their travel insurers about their medical conditions, with 15% of the 2000 people surveyed saying they feared they would be refused cover.