Chris Lee, head of travel at Barclays, said:“Today’s travel figures reflect an international travel market still suffering from the hang-over induced by the global recession and, for UK travellers, the effects ofsterling weakness.

 

“Generally, while British holidaymakers that can afford one, view their annual break away as almost sacrosanct, an additional weekend city break or skiing holiday seems to have fallen by the wayside, a trend that is set to impact the industry throughout the winter.

 

“However, many specialist operators such as cruises and niche tour operators have held steady by providing a focused, unique offering which consumers cannot replicate on their own.

 

“Prudent business owners and managers have also been moving towards leaner, more agile operations better able to react to increasingly late booking patterns and changes in consumer demand, which should benefit these operators next year as the number of UK travellers in the first half of 2010 looks to hold steady rather than move back to a position of strong growth.”