09 February 2009 / by Rachel Mason
The fact the UK is in a recession has not dampened the holiday spirit as Brits refuse to change their holiday plans.
According to the UK’s leading travel operator TUI Travel, which owns Thomson and First Choice, the same number of people plan to travel abroad for their holidays this year as last year.
According to the survey, the vast majority of people will be opting for a package holiday while destinations outside of the Eurozone are looking to be particularly popular.
“In the UK, average selling prices on charter holidays remain at +10 per cent with strong consumer demand for Egypt, Dominican Republic and Mexico,” said TUI Travel in its Interim Statement.
“Consumer demand remains very strong for medium-haul destinations, with both Turkey and Egypt benefiting while bookings for All-Inclusive products are significantly ahead of last year.”
TUI Travel’s research reveals that of those holidaymakers who had booked with one of their travel brands last year but are yet to do so for 2009, 87 per cent do still intend to go away, which is the same proportion as last year.
Of those who are still planning to travel, 94 per cent said they would opt for a package holiday deal; this figure is up nine per cent on last year.
“We anticipated a weaker demand environment in 2009 and cut capacity accordingly across our source markets, and as result average selling prices are significantly ahead of last year, and we continue to focus on recovering our input costs and achieving our margin targets for the current financial year,” said the statement.
If you are planning to go away, don’t forget your travel insurance; you can compare travel insurance deals and apply online.
© Fair Investment Company Ltd