Brits are having a whale of a time on holiday
Featuring dramatic scenery and irresistible wildlife, animal loving Brits can’t get enough of Sir David Attenborough’s on screen expeditions and are following in the footsteps of their favourite nature correspondents, thanks to programmes such as BBC1’s Life.
As the ten-part series continues to capture the imagination of a nation, a quarter of Brits (25 per cent) are claiming that nature programmes have inspired their holiday choices, according to new research released today by travelsupermarket.com. Safaris are the animal related holiday of choice (38 per cent), closely followed by whale and dolphin watching (36 per cent), swimming with dolphins (26 per cent) and - perhaps surprisingly - polar bear spotting (16 per cent).
Bob Atkinson, travel expert at travelsupermarket.com, said: “Inspiration comes in many forms and nature programmes clearly have their part to play when it comes to choosing a holiday.
“There are countless options available to our animal loving nation from jungle trekking to whale watching, and destinations where tourists can get close to nature are becoming increasingly accessible to the masses.
“Whether you’re travelling with young children and want to introduce them to nature in a family friendly environment, or looking for a polar bear adventure, you can ‘do an Attenborough’ and experience all the excitement of mixing with animals.”
People aged between 60 and 69 were revealed as the likeliest group to indulge in a little bird twitching (13 per cent compared to a national average of eight per cent) in places such as the UK as well as all over the world. And compared to just under a quarter of men (23 per cent), nearly a third of women (30 per cent) would like to swim with dolphins.
The top ten nature holidays were revealed to be:
1. Safari (38 per cent)
2. Whale/dolphin watching (36 per cent)
3. Swimming with dolphins (26 per cent)
4. Polar bear spotting (16 per cent)
5. Scuba diving (15 per cent)
6. Gorilla watching (15 per cent)
7. Orang-utan watching (14 per cent)
8. Jungle trekking (13 per cent)
9. Snorkelling (13 per cent)
10. Panda watching (11 per cent)
Top ten destinations to realise your nature holiday dreams:
1. Safari – most popular destinations being Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa
2. Whale/dolphin watching – most popular destinations are California, New England coast, Norway, South Africa, Iceland and Gibraltar
3. Swimming with dolphins – Florida, the Bahamas and Australia
4. Polar bear spotting – cruises from Vancouver to Alaska
5. Scuba diving – Bahamas, Red Sea, Thailand and Grand Cayman
6. Gorilla watching – Uganda and Rwanda
7. Orang-utan watching – Borneo
8. Jungle trekking - Thailand, Borneo, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Malaysia,
9. Snorkelling - Thailand, Red Sea, The Bahamas, Grand Cayman
10. Panda watching – China
* All figures unless stated otherwise are taken from research carried out on behalf of travelsupermarket.com by Opinium in November (6– 9) 2009 amongst 2,009 adults residing in the UK.