Long haul love affair continues for intrepid Brits

Holidays are not optional. Credit crunched, aviation fuel tax blitzed Brits aren’t about to give up their long-haul holidays, according to findings from a survey conducted by boutique tour operator, Travel In Depth.

When quizzed on their top travel spots, 68% of respondents revealed New Zealand as one of their favourite recent holiday destinations, citing far-flung destinations such as South America, Australia, Canada, the USA and even the Falkland Islands as next on their wish list.

“These new insights could demonstrate the waning of the much-talked about ‘staycation’ phenomenon” suggests Travel In Depth founder, Paul Carberry.

In these cash-strapped times, British travellers are keen to make their money go as far as they do, with 68% percent of those surveyed citing Value for Money as a key deciding factor in choosing their holiday. Demonstrating that our love affair with travelling is as strong as ever, a significant percentage of respondents stated that they spend between £3,000 and £5,000 per person per trip, with 15% happy to spend more than £5,000. An impressive 62% declared they would give up something such as a car, house move or eating out in favour of giving up their annual holiday/s.

Paul Carberry comments “whilst it is clear that value is important, this certainly does not mean that people are compromising on destination or experiences. Tapping into people’s travel psyche, it seems that Brits heading abroad have an insatiable appetite for life-enriching trips. There’s definitely a ‘where or what’s next’ factor with travel plans”.

In terms of other things (other than money) influencing their holiday choice, 49% of respondents rated wildlife high on their holiday agenda when choosing a destination. Other deciding factors affecting travellers’ decisions included Culture, Weather, Activities and Food. Concern about the environment and effects of travel also rated highly, with 49% of respondents citing Responsible Tourism practices as an influencing factor.

These findings are unveiled as Euromonitor’s latest report predicts that 56.2 million Brits will travel overseas this year, up from 50m in 2010. This is expected to increase to 58.3m, 58.7m and 59.6m in the next three years respectively.

For more information, visit: travel-indepth.co.uk