Brits want cheap holiday deals

[28th April 2008]

Despite the credit crisis, consumers in Britain remain committed to taking a holiday this year and many plan to take advantage of the weak dollar to visit the US and Canada.

The survey by online travel company kayak.co.uk reveals that 66% of respondents are feeling the pinch, but nearly 60% maintain they will not change their summer holiday plans.

As people start to tighten their belts, 66% said they would search for travel deals in order to get the best price. Self-catering holidays were popular with 60% as a way to save money rather than eating meals out, while 30% said they would take less luggage to avoid excess baggage fees.

Holidays to the USA are clearly more popular as 65% said they were interested in travelling to North America to take advantage of the strong pound. But despite the weakness of the pound against the euro, 73% stated they would still take holidays in Europe.

Late summer sun holidays are also popular, with 35% saying they plan to take a holiday in September or October. In contrast only 25% admitted to planning to take a break abroad in the peak holiday months of July and August.

It seems that Brits also like to leave things to the last minute, as 46% said they only book their holiday one month in advance, while 40% said they book six months or more in advance.

“Last summer was one of the wettest on record and it’s clear that sun-starved Brits value summer holidays far too highly to do without,” comments kayak.co.uk business development director, Annie Wilson.

“Even holidaymakers who might already have a smaller travel budget this year can still find affordable deals and won’t have to miss out on taking a summer break,” Wilson adds.

Written by: Nick Purdom