Holiday survey shows demand for foreign breaks
[October 6th 2008]
A new survey conducted on behalf of the Association of British Travel Agents shows that despite the credit crunch the British public has not lost its appetite for overseas holidays.
The ABTA Holiday Survey conducted by Ipsos MORI found that 83% of people who have been on a recent overseas holiday are planning to take another one within the next 12 months.
And also on the positive side, 50% said they will not be cutting back on the length of their holidays, while 46% maintained that the state of the economy will not affect their choice of destination or the type of holiday they take.
But the survey also revealed that the credit crunch is having some impact on holiday plans. Thirty five per cent said that the current economic situation will affect their choice of destination. And with the weakness of the pound against the euro, only 46% said they plan to take a holiday in Western Europe, compared to 65% who had visited this region in 2008 and 69% who visited in 2007.
Financial concerns also mean that 38% of those surveyed thought they would take fewer holidays next year, while 39% said they did not plan to reduce the number of holidays they take. This year the survey shows 42% took one holiday abroad, while 30% took three or more overseas holidays in the last 12 months.
The ABTA Holiday Survey also reveals that long holidays are still popular. Thirty one per cent of respondents said their last holiday was 11-14 nights long, while another 31% said they had taken a 5-7 night holiday. Short breaks of 1-4 nights had been taken by 14%, while 11% said they had been on a holiday lasting 8-10 nights.
ABTA commissioned MORI to undertake the survey in the first two weeks of September and the 702 respondents had all been on or booked an overseas holiday during the last 12 months.
ABTA currently has over 1,500 members including travel agents, tour operators and holiday support services. Its members provide 90% of the foreign package holidays sold in the UK.
Written by: Nick Purdom
Start your holiday early – book an Airport Hotel at an unbeatable price with Holiday Extras
Related News Articles
Luton airport gets new flights to Ukraine - 09/01/2009
Low cost airline Wizz Air Ukraine has launched new flights from Luton airport to the city of Lviv.Air fares cut as easyJet starts biggest ever sale - 09/01/2009
Cheaper air travel is promised as budget airline easyJet cuts fares on all flights.New flights as passengers increase | easyJet extra flights from the UK - 08/01/2009
Low cost airline easyJet is launching nine new flights from the UK as it announces passenger numbers increased in December.
