Love Island 2018: Mallorca holiday booking surge 23 per cent as ratings soar for ITV2 show

Fun in the sun: The new cast are trying to find love
ITV
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Love Island fever today continues to grip the nation - with holiday bookings soaring to Mallorca where the show is filmed.

Monday’s launch episode of the programme, which sees a group of singles filmed as they are coupled up in a Mallorcan villa, was ITV2’s most-watched show ever.

And viewers were today rushing to support contestant Alex George, an A&E doctor, after he was “shunned”.

The show’s popularity is now making an impact on the UK travel market - with a 23 per cent increase in bookings to Mallorca compared to 2017, according to eDreams.

Coupled up: The contestants were given partners on episode one  
ITV

The holiday isle jumped six spots to second place in its top 10 of most popular locations, said the online travel agent.

Jet2.com said it has increased the number of flights to Mallorca by 13 per cent due to the “huge demand” for Britons wanting to fly there.

The firm has more than 1 million seats to the island on sale this summer, the same as 116 weekly flights, compared to a peak of 79 last summer.

Love Island 2018: Series 4 - In pictures

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A spokesman said: “This growth is based on the huge demand for Mallorca, and the talk-ability and popularity around Love Island is one of the many factors driving that.”

Thomas Cook said, over the past seven days, searches for the Balearic island were “noticeably above average”.

It came as contestant Dr George said he “felt like a leper” after all of the female contestants refused to kiss him during a task.

He was left humiliated when none of the contestants wanted to couple up with him during the launch episode.

The medic was eventually paired with West End performer Samira Mighty, but then claimed she was being “dismissive” towards him.

He said: “I feel quite frustrated because I’m making a lot of effort with her.”

On Twitter this morning viewers started the hashtag #savealex - who is currently bookies favourite to be the first to be eliminated from the show.

Later, 22-year-old personal trainer Adam Collard “stole” 26-year-old former Miss England finalist Kendall Rae-Knight from her previous partner Niall Aslam.

During their date, Rae-Knight and Collard agreed to share a bed before embracing and having the first kiss of the season.

Collard managed to woo his date with the line: “How about a kiss now, so we don’t have to spoon when we get back?”

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