The recession is forcing consumers to change their holiday plans with almost half scaling back, a new study shows.

The poll of 1,000 people found that 46% of consumers had already scaled back as a result of the current economic climate.

Concern about the social and environmental impact of holidays is also changing what people plan to do.

The research found that 61% of consumers say they are planning to find out more about the social and environmental impact of their holiday and more than half (55%) say they plan to choose holiday destinations which can be reached by train or boat rather than flying.

But 76% of consumers felt they did not have enough information about social and environmental impacts of holidays to allow them to make an informed choice.

While 2009 is likely to be a tough year for many holiday companies, those companies that can manage to match value with values (both social and environmental) and tell their customers about it may just stand out from the crowd be able to ride out the current economic storm, corporate responsibility consultancy Good Business, which commissioned the research, said.

Founder and CEO Giles Gibbons said: “With less money in their pockets it seems many holidaymakers plan to look for cheaper alternatives in the UK this year.

“Some might see this as good news from an environmental perspective, with reductions in things like flights.

“However, the social impact on foreign holiday destinations, many of which depend on tourism for employment and investment, could be devastating.”

Justin Francis, founder of the travel website responsibletravel.com said: “What this research and our own growth in the last eight years shows is that there is a staggering unmet demand for more information and for more responsible holidays that deliver stronger benefits to communities and destinations. Now it is up to the industry to listen to consumers and to act sooner rather than later.”

by Phil Davies