A TYPICAL family summer holiday now costs almost £500 per person, a report from tour operator Thomas Cook revealed.

The average cost rose from £488 per person in summer 2005 to £494 in summer 2006.

The average one-week holiday has gone up from £369 to £370 and the average two-week price increasing from £557 to £575.

The two-week holiday accounted for 50.4% of the summer 2006 market compared with 56% four years ago, while the one-week break has grown from 35% in 2002 to 41.4% in summer 2006.

The Balearic islands, which include Majorca and Ibiza, accounted for 25% of all family holidays abroad last summer, with Greece (13%) in second place and the Canary Islands (12%) third.

The details came in a report from Thomas Cook entitled The Family File. The report also said:

* The top long-haul escape for families last summer was Florida, followed by Egypt, Tunisia and the Dominican Republic

* London was the most popular spot for family holidays in the UK in summer 2006, followed by Blackpool, Legoland in Windsor, York and Edinburgh

* Spain was the top summer 2006 destination for all-inclusive holidays, with an average one-week price of £418;

* Up and coming destinations include Mauritius, Dubai, Oman, Thailand and Malaysia.