Despite the cost of living crisis and political instability in many parts of the world, people are going on holiday more than ever and Spain remains the most popular foreign destination.
Britons took an average of 3.94 holidays over the past 12 months, slightly more than the previous year and surpassing the peak of 3.91 in 2019 before the Covid pandemic brought travel to a standstill, according to a survey by the association of ABTA trips.
The most prolific travelers were families and those under 35 years of age: young people aged 18 to 24 made an average of 5.33 trips per year; Young people between 25 and 24 years old take 6.43 vacations and families with children over five years old take 5.32 vacations.
Travel has “outperformed all other consumer products and services” over the past two years, even though higher interest rates led to “belt tightening across the board,” Abta CEO Mark Tanzer said. .
Brits took an average of 3.94 holidays over the past 12 months. This was up slightly from the previous year and surpassed the peak of 3.91 in 2019 before the Covid pandemic brought travel to a standstill (file image)
Speaking yesterday at the opening of the trade organisation’s convention in Greece, Tanzer identified a trend among “regular tourists”: more than half of the 2,000 adults who participated in the research said that vacations “supported their mental health.” “.
Last year, respondents revealed that electronics such as phones and tablets would be the last thing they would cut back on to offset rising costs.
It’s a holiday this year, and only 32 percent say they would reduce their annual vacation spending.
Package holidays remain the most popular way to travel abroad: Spain is the place where most people go, followed by France, Italy, the United States, Greece and Portugal.
Nearly half (48 percent) of people surveyed visited a beach destination, and 43 percent opted for a city break.
The proportion of tourists traveling with children who opt for cruises has almost doubled in the last five years, from 8 percent in 2019 to 15 percent this year.
The most prolific travelers were families and those under 35 years of age: young people aged 18 to 24 made an average of 5.33 trips per year; Young people between 25 and 24 years old take 6.43 vacations and families with children over five years old take 5.32 vacations (archive image)
ABTA says there has also been an increase in the number of tourists booking with a travel agent or tour operator, rather than alone, from 34 per cent to 43 per cent.
Reasons for this include ease of booking, value for money and access to professional help and advice when something goes wrong.
Speaking more broadly about the travel sector, Tanzer said the commitment to use 10 percent sustainable aviation fuels on all flights by 2030 will be unattainable or prohibitively expensive unless the government uses air passenger duty revenue to finance alternative fuels.
He also said Chancellor Rachel Reeves must “resist any tax layering that puts holidays out of reach for our customers.”
Mr Tanzer said: ‘In recent years, economic growth and productivity in the UK has been anemic, to say the least.
‘The new Government has made growth a priority, indeed an absolute necessity, if it is to balance the books and meet future spending plans.
“Travel and tourism must be an integral part of your growth strategy, not only because of the economic value of the industry but because of the international connectivity it offers to many other sectors.”