Holiday Survey for 2012
The TravelSupermarket holiday survey provides some interesting statistics for how people are planning to holiday in 2012:
- 42% of those surveyed said price was the number one consideration
- 32% said weather was number one consideration
- 26% said accommodation was the main consideration
- Holidaymakers plan to go away for longer, despite tighter holiday budgets
- Average holidaymaker intends on spending £642 on main 2012 holiday
- 19% say they'll rely on a credit card to afford 2012 break
- 46% say they will use savings to take a holiday
- Only 40% said they will be able to afford a holiday on disposable income
- Average Holiday money is expected to be £450 for a week (£47 per day)
Holiday Makers Spending Less in 2012
In 2011, the average British holiday makers spent an average of £829 each on flights and accommodation. In 2012, that average budget seems to average £642. Yet 51% of British holidaymakers still aim to have a main holiday abroad lasting over a week.
The research also found an increase in those intending to take self-catering and all-inclusive breaks - at 31 per cent and 12 per cent of main holidays in 2012 respectively. Both are tried and tested methods for keeping holiday costs under control and helping budget.
As Brits, we love a good bargain. In tough economic times, we look even harder for the best deal. People especially seem to want to travel to foreign shores to escape the difficult economic environment at home, I suspect they want a bit of guaranteed sun too!
Package Holidays vs Independent Holidays
Rather than trust to package holidays through high street travel agents, in recent years there has been a trend toward online bookings and independent holidays in an attempt to make savings. Customers are arranging flights and accommodation separately and, increasingly, directly from the source, rather than through a travel agent.
What does this mean for the quality of our holiday and what risks does that represent for the holidaymaker? Well, travel agents are obviously feeling the pinch in these economic times; people are more likely to go online and in to the store in search of a bargain. Package holidays have lost popularity as holiday makers look to book their own flights and accomodation from different holiday companies to get the best value. Recently though, the feeling we get is that the trend has been tempered a bit by the collapse of some holiday companies meaning that people opt for the more financially secure traditional package holiday.
There are many different ways of buying holidays and travel arrangements today, so it’s very important that you understand whether or not the money that you’ve paid for your holiday is safe if things go wrong. There are a number of different ways that you can get this protection, but not all travel arrangements are covered so you should always check. There’s no legal requirement that flights bought direct from an airline, or accommodation-only sales, are protected. There are two statutory schemes that exist to protect your money and to ensure that you’ll be brought home if your travel company goes out of business. These schemes apply to package holidays and to some flight-only arrangements more details of them can be found on the ABTA website.
Is it Worth Getting Travel Insurance?
We would always advise getting travel insurance. Policies can be obtained quite cheaply and help remove the worry of what might happen if things go wrong. Booking via a credit card can also provide some protection from your card issuer. We would also advise trying to do as much research into the place you are staying, and the local area, as possible. Try to find recent reviews of others who have stayed there and see what they thought.
Ultimately quality and price tend to go hand in hand. As the old saying goes “You get what you pay for” and so by looking for a bargain, especially in accommodation costs, you might not be happy with what you end up with. Let’s just hope you’re reading this for interest, rather than because you need our help!
For more information you can visit the website!
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