IF "Hasta La Vista" is as much as you can say in a foreign language, then you're not alone.

A recent survey showed that more than 66 per cent of UK adults cannot speak a second language at all.

But travel agent Going Places, on The Rock, Bury, is hoping to turn tongue-tied tourists into lingo-knowing locals by becoming the first travel agent to offer free language lessons to holidaymakers.

The travel agent has teamed up with Cheadle-based language school La Academia to give a free one-to-one, hour-long Spanish lesson, worth £25, to customers booking an Airtours break in selected stores to one of 16 Spanish speaking destinations, including the Costas, the Balearics, the Canaries, Mexico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

Twenty Going Places stores throughout the North West, including Bury, are taking part in the initiative, and if it proves popular the scheme will be rolled out to more branches. There will be 3,500 lessons available across all participating branches, on a first-come first-served basis. Up to four people from one booking party can attend a lesson, giving a potential 14,000 people the opportunity to learn Spanish this summer.

Jason Hylton, manager of Going Places in Bury, said: "Spain is now the most popular destination for UK holidaymakers abroad and apart from 'una beer por favour' most people don't have a grasp of basic phrases they'll need for their holiday. We wanted to ensure our holidaymakers have a head start on the beaches and this is designed to help them on their way.

It is available to up to four members of a booking party.