Financial concerns cause Brits to holiday at home

Some 19.8 million Britons, 63% of all those planning a summer break, intend to holiday in the UK this summer according to new research from Sainsbury's Travel Insurance, as the recession bites into people's holiday plans. One in five (19%) of these people says they are going to holiday at home specifically because of financial concerns.

Holidaymakers have many other cost-cutting measures up their sleeves though, including booking cheaper accommodation, which 10% of British adults intend to do. Fourteen per cent of Britons are going to take less spending money on holiday this summer, and an estimated 170,000 holidaymakers intend to leave their partner or children at home while they go away because they can't afford to take them.

The findings also show that 8% of people intend to go on less holidays this summer because of money troubles, and 19% of people say they won't be going on holiday at all because of financial difficulties.

Sam Marrs, Sainsbury's Travel Insurance Manager, said: "With a significant number of us still intending to get away this summer, holidaymakers are taking a range of measures to reduce their holiday spend, holidaying in the UK instead of abroad being the main one. These holidaymakers must still remember to ensure they have good quality travel insurance though because although they'll have access to the NHS, they could potentially still need cover for lost or stolen possessions, delays and cancellations."

The East Midlands has the highest percentage of holidaymakers who intend to take a break in the UK this summer, followed by Yorkshire and Humberside, the South West and the North East.

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