Survey reveals parents desperate to save money on holidays

One in three parents will be more likely to take their kids out of school in the coming year to save money on the family holiday compared to previous years according to a new survey.

2008 has been a challenging year in travel and with the current economic climate Brits are embracing online media more than ever in a quest to seek cost effective, reputable holiday opportunities. The poll of 1,250 adults by webTV travel site, Holiday ’09 goes on to reveal that six out of ten Brits don’t trust traditional holiday brochures anymore. Over half of the people polled said they would be looking for advice on how to save money and get the best deal on their holiday next year. For nine out of ten consumers this research will be done online.

Encouragingly, a getaway is very much on the cards for the majority of respondents with a beach holiday taking poll position. Over a quarter of those surveyed revealed that UK city breaks are in their plans for 2009 while a fifth of respondents are planning something more long haul. One in ten of us are planning a camping trip for 09.

Ceriann Mullins, Editor of Holiday ‘09 said: “It’s clear that following recent events in the industry and the global economy that customers want reassurance from travel companies placing openness, transparency and interactivity higher up their decision making process.”

So with consumer passion for the internet and their keen plans for getting away from it all in 2009, the re-launch of a webTV travel series would seem to be the solution that UK Holidaymakers are looking for. Holiday ’09, an engaging and interactive digital platform designed to showcase the very best in holiday and travel opportunities for consumers launches today. Produced by award winning broadcast specialist, markettiers4dc the series, now in its third year, harnesses the creativity and dynamism of webTV and compelling on-demand video content, delivering core brand messaging to a highly targeted and optimised audience seeking out valuable travel information, advice and inspiration.

The launch of the series will allow brands to plan for and capitalise on the key post-Christmas / New Year booking period for travellers arranging their 2009 holidays and the increasing popularity of researching holidays online. With more detailed information and an opportunity to ask individual questions of experts, it is hoped that the series will give holidaymakers a more in-depth guide to the destinations show-cased and a far greater chance of getting it right for their holidays next year.

The research for holiday09.tv was carried out online by Opinion Matters between 28.10.08 and 30.10.08 amongst a nationally representative sample of 1250 UK adults aged 16+.