Holidaymakers around the UK are increasingly likely to take breaks close to home with Glasgow attracting more hits than big-name destinations such as New York and Paris, according to internet search engine Yahoo.

Holidaymakers around the UK are increasingly likely to take breaks close to home with Glasgow attracting more hits than big-name destinations such as New York and Paris, according to internet search engine Yahoo.

Seven out of the 10 most-searched-for travel destinations this year were domestic, suggesting more holidaymakers are staying in Britain as the economy worsens. Scotland's largest city featured in more searches than tourist-magnet Edinburgh, with Glasgow taking sixth place to the capital's ninth.

London was the most popular travel destination on Yahoo, one of the world's largest internet search engines, with Disneyland Paris in second place and Centre Parcs in third.

The table is one of several published today as Yahoo unveils its Top 10 Searches 2008, which the company claims is a guide to the cultural tastes of the past year.

Troubled female celebrities feature heavily in the tables, with Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss all appearing in the overall top 10. Ms Spears tops the list for the second year running, after a turbulent period which saw interest in her private life frequently overshadowing her musical career.

The top of the list is dominated by celebrity scandal and TV entertainment, reflecting the audience of teenagers, students and young professionals that uses Yahoo for e-mail and news coverage.

The most serious news item in the top 10, the US election, is only in sixth place, beaten by Big Brother, X Factor, Oasis and the Disney film High School Musical 3.

Heath Ledger was the most-searched-for man, following his death in January this year. The Batman star beat President Elect Barack Obama, and was the only male to feature in the top 10 most-searched-for celebrities. Joining him on the list are Paris Hilton, Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Lilly Allen, along with model-turned-businesswoman Katie Price and singer Mariah Carey.

The most popular news events included the continued search for Madeleine McCann, the credit crunch, climate change and phone-in scams, alongside Heath Ledger's death and the US election. The rumoured death of Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze, who is alive but fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer, propelled the actor to eighth place on the news list, with the disappearance of Shannon Matthews and coverage of Glastonbury and the London Marathon also making the top 10.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesman for the search engine noted a surprising interest in climate change.

She said: "Climate change was the fifth most-searched-for news story, an extremely high placing considering that there was no major environmental related news this year, and perhaps reflecting our increasing environmental consciousness in Britain in 2008." In the site's sports section, both Rangers and Celtic appeared in the list of most-searched-for football teams, taking sixth and eighth spot respectively.

Liverpool were the mostlooked-for team, followed by Arsenal, Manchester United, Leeds and Chelsea.

Kids-hit High School Musical 3 was the most-sought- after film, beating Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, James Bond and Indiana Jones in the table.

Kristof Fahy, vice-president of marketing for Yahoo Europe, said the list provides a valuable insight into the interests of the British public in the year to date.

She said: "It is fascinating to look back over the last year and see the stories, personalities and subjects that have captured our imagination, some of which are almost distant memories now, and some of which continue to be the hot topics of today.

"Our users know that Yahoo continues to be the essential starting point for finding whatever information you want online, whether that be Britney Spears, Bond or Barack Obama."