Families slam ‘rip-off’ British holidays
The vast majority of families with young children believe UK hotels fail to cater for them.
And only 12% of parents with teenagers think a British holiday hotel is good value for money.
The findings come in a damning survey of 2,000 parents to gauge opinions on UK holidays commissioned by Mother & Baby magazine and Mothercare.
The poll results show that parents think Britain is a rip-off, while six out of ten feel the country is not family-friendly. More than half actually believe Britain is ‘anti-child’.
Blackpool was pinpointed as the worst place to spend a family holiday, followed by Hastings and Bognor Regis. Center Parcs was regarded as the best family-friendly destination and Bournemouth as having the best family friendly beach.
Hotels in Scotland were considered the most welcoming to families while those in east Anglia had a welcoming family atmosphere. By contrast, those in the south were least welcoming.
The majority of parents like the idea of a traditional seaside holiday in the UK so they can avoid airport chaos and the stress associated with travelling long journeys with young children.
But three quarters who chose a domestic holiday said most hotels did not cater for families with youngsters.
A similar number said a week in a hotel abroad was cheaper, even with the air fare, and they were guaranteed sun, swimming pools and better service.
The survey found that in general 74% of parents thought British hotels considered babies and young children to be a nuisance and more than half felt that other guests found children annoying.
Over-charging by beach car parks, poor quality children’s food, small rooms and a lack of baby listening services were all highlighted as criticisms of holidaying in the UK.
Mother & Baby editor Elena Dalrymple was quoted as saying: “It doesn’t seem British hotels have moved much beyond the ‘Basil Fawlty’ model. All that most families want is a decent sized room, with en-suite facilities, good food for the children and themselves and a clean, welcoming environment. Surely, that’s not too much to ask.”
by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
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