Blairs opt for summer vacation in Mexico

Tony and Cherie Blair are to break with family tradition by holidaying in Mexico – and then travelling on an economy flight to the south of France.

The Prime Minister will also live up to his promise to take a holiday in Britain with a short break in the West Country.

The Blairs' summer vacation will begin as soon as they end a week-long official trip to Jamaica, Brazil and Mexico on 4 August. They will stay on in Mexico where their four children – Euan, 17, Nicky, 16, Kathryn, 13, and Leo, one – a nanny and Mrs Blair's mother, Gail, will join them.

Their choice of destination comes as a surprise because they have previously shown themselves to be creatures of habit by choosing Italy or France for their summer break. Downing Street was at pains to scotch suggestions that the Blairs were using their official trip as a free lift for their holiday destination. A spokesman insisted they would stump up the equivalent of two first-class returns from London to Mexico – about £4,800 each – to pay their way. The rest of the family will fly economy class at a cost of some £3,500.

From there they will return to the less exotic surroundings of the West Country for a stay of about four days.

Number 10, sensitive to the damage to the tourist industry from this year's foot-and-mouth epidemic, had recently announced the couple would, for the first time anyone could remember, spend some of their holiday in Britain. The most likely destination is Cornwall, where Mr Blair held impromptu talks with the Irish Prime Minister two years ago.

The choice of the West Country, large areas of which are still off limits because of foot-and-mouth, is a blow – albeit predictable – to Blackpool tourism chiefs who dispatched a brochure to Downing Street extolling its virtues.

Later in August, the family will fly to the south of France for a third short break. But, in a bizarre move for a couple whose reputed joint income exceeds £400,000 they have chosen to fly to Nice from Luton airport by the low-cost carrier EasyJet. They can expect to pay about £160 each as they have probably left it too late to snap up a bargain-basement deal.

The family divided their time between Tuscany and France last year. They had been expected either to return to Italy or join the Spanish Prime Minister, José Maria Aznar, at his villa in Minorca.

In the end, they settled on their most complicated holiday arrangements since Mr Blair became Prime Minister. Stung by past headlines accusing the family of freeloading, they have been carefully calculated with an eye to publicity. Downing Street said: "All aspects of this holiday will be paid for in the normal way. They will pay full return air fares at a commercial rate."