Nearly 13m Brits to book a holiday before end of Feb

Despite the economic gloom, research from Sainsbury's Travel Insurance reveals that nearly 13 million people (28% of the adult population) intend to book a holiday between Christmas and the end of February 2009. Those planning a holiday intend to spend on average £881.83 each, or collectively £8.5 billion. However, nearly 1.5 million people intend to spend over £2,000 each.

Sainsbury's Finance is urging people in the rush to book their holiday, not to forget to purchase good quality travel insurance. It is important to shop around to ensure you get adequate cover at a competitive price. Its research suggests that many will not do this as over a quarter (24%) of people booking holidays between the end of December 2008 and the end of February 2009 say they intend to purchase their travel insurance through their travel agent or the company selling them the holiday.

From January 2009 however, travel agents selling insurance will be regulated by the Financial Services Authority - a change in law welcomed by Sainsbury's Travel Insurance as it believes it will afford travellers greater protection. However, you might find there are fewer travel agents able to sell insurance so it's worth moving it to the top of your pre-holiday shopping list and securing it as soon as you have made your holiday plans. Travel insurance can be easily purchased online or over the phone.

Sam Marrs, Sainsbury's Travel Insurance Manager, said: "It's really encouraging to see that people are still planning to get away despite the "credit crunch", which just shows the importance of a holiday to the British public. When booking a break though, it's imperative that people don't see travel insurance as merely an add-on - they need to ensure that they have comprehensive cover so that if the worst does happen, they will be looked after properly and not out of pocket."

The research reveals that 4% of people intend to book a holiday during the week after Christmas, 13% during January and 11% during February. Those living in London and the South West are the keenest to book a holiday in the New Year, with 35% and 24% of people living there respectively planning to do this between the end of Christmas and the end of February 2009. In contrast, only 12% of people living in Wales are planning to do this.

To obtain a Sainsbury's Travel Insurance quote, visit sainsburysbank.co.uk