Aberystwyth is in the top 10 for most searched for towns in the UK as holidaymakers begin to plan their post-pandemic trips, a survey has revealed.

All British towns and cities with less than 20,000 inhabitants were considered for the study by Holidu, the search engine for holiday rentals.

Aberystwyth came in ninth overall in the UK, attracting 1,560 internet searches per month.

Aberystwyth ranked second overall in Wales behind Llandudno, which ranked third overall in the UK.

The most searched town was Whitby in North Yorkshire, with 6,280 searches per month.

The survey said: “Aberystwyth is the second Welsh town in this ranking, with 1,560 searches per month.

“During the academic year, Aberystwyth is a well-known university town and in the summer months, it is a thriving seaside location.

“Brimming with thousands of years of history, this is a quaint town that is perfect for a relaxing getaway.”

Holidu said: “A little over a year since the start of the pandemic and the desire to travel is not diminishing.

“The travel restrictions have always been unclear, and despite this, we continue to dream of holidays and look for our next destination.

“In the past year, British staycations have been booming and this year will be no different.

“But where do people want to go? What will be the most popular destination in 2021?

“We decided to carry out a study to determine which small UK towns and cities British people have been looking for in the last 12 months.

“The ranking was drawn up using the average number of monthly searches on Google for these towns with the terms "what to do" and "things to do” to determine the most popular small towns with holiday-makers.”