80% of Florida UK visitors say their holiday bookings have been affected by the recession, with money tighter and price becoming more of an issue.
UK visitors to family favourite Florida are still feeling the pinch as eighty per cent say their holiday bookings have been affected by the recession, with money tighter and price becoming more of an issue.
A survey of more than 700 regular Florida holidaymakers by travel website Florida4Less.co.uk considered a number of questions, including the typical length of stay, the budget they have available for their trip and whether they prefer travelling with a particular airline.
The findings showed that 80 per cent of Florida visitors go on holiday once or twice a year and 63 per cent compare more than five travel websites before making a booking.
Sixty-seven per cent of tourists to the Sunshine State also wanted their holidays to last a fortnight and over half have more than £400 per head to spend on their break.
Florida4Less.co.uk is a trading division of Freedom Travel Limited, part of the Co-op Travel Group, and one of the leading Florida holiday providers in the UK. A spokesperson said: “We obviously take a close interest in Florida travellers and their preferences, but this research does throw up some interesting results.
“Despite a general trend for holidaymakers to be increasingly price conscious and research their bookings more carefully, nearly a third said the price of their holiday wasn’t a consideration. This was also the group who was most likely to go on three holidays a year – indicating that there is still strong demand at the top end of the market.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, those looking to go on holiday once a year are the most meticulous researchers, with 69 per cent of them looking at more than five websites before making a booking.”
The research showed that many aren’t picky about the airline they travel on, with sixty-eight per cent saying they don’t care which airline they fly with. But among those who expressed a preference, 21 per cent said they liked flying with Virgin.
The results also showed that 60 per cent of those going on holiday as a couple did no price comparison, despite 65 per cent of them going away more than three times a year.
And it was those spending over £400 per head who considered price to be more of issue than it used to be, or highlighted that money is a bit tighter than it was – with 83 per cent saying the recession has affected their holiday choices. 
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
