Print Preview : Brits spend less on food and more on domestic holidays

Brits spend less on food and more on domestic holidays
Families around the country feeling the pinch due to the credit crunch are abandoning holidays abroad in favour of good quality UK-based destinations, according to a major piece of research commissioned jointly by VisitBritain and Visit London. The research - called ‘The economic downturn and domestic tourism’ - shows that short breaks abroad are most likely to be sacrificed altogether due to the economic downturn, with fewer Britons feeling driven to cut out UK breaks and holidays.

Evidence of these findings can already be seen in Leicestershire – where bookings for a value-for-money family short break offer created by Leicester Shire Promotions has increased by over 640 per cent compared to last year (bednights up from 97 in August 2007 to 624 in August 2008, with ticket sales rising from 425 to 2028 in the same period - up 477 per cent).

The ‘Stay, Play, Explore’ family short break offer enables a family of four to choose three family attractions to visit from a choice of five around Leicester and Leicestershire for a total of just £50 – a massive 45 per cent saving from the usual entrance fees. What’s more, good quality family-friendly hotels in the area are also participating, offering accommodation from as little as £49 per family room.

The offer has attracted hundreds of families from around the country to take a short break to Leicestershire which, at £99 for a family of four, is a fraction of the cost associated with going abroad. In August, tickets sales for the short break were up by 640 per cent compared to August 2007 and this trend continued in October, with sales figures increasing to 373 per cent from October last year.

Martin Peters, Chief Executive of Leicester Shire Promotions, said: “Despite the downturn of the country’s economy, it’s encouraging to see that the British still highly value their leisure time. It seems people won’t be as quick to book holidays abroad in the summer and instead will opt to spend their leisure time at a good quality UK destination – something that we are already seeing in Leicester and Leicestershire.

“As well as the superb Stay, Play, Explore family fun short break, we have developed a range of year-round short break opportunities to reflect the area’s diverse tourism offering and good quality accommodation, all at a fraction of the cost of going abroad.”

The VisitBritain/Visit London research shows that while 90 per cent of the population claim they are cutting down on spending, less than half (45 per cent) are planning to cut back on holidays, breaks or day trips. Rather, Britons are planning to reduce the amount spent on lower value, high frequency purchases such as food (80 per cent), fuel (74 per cent), clothes (67 per cent) and entertainment or ‘little luxuries’ (67 per cent). Around 20 per cent of those who took a foreign holiday last year plan to save money by choosing the UK instead with a massive 51 per cent of respondents ‘put off’ from travelling abroad by the belief that flight costs are rising. Theodore Koumelis - Wednesday, December 24, 2008