Travelzoo poll shows half term booking trends
A third of Brits say they are more likely to take a domestic holiday this half term due to terror fears and the unstable and weak pound.
A poll of just over 2,000 Brits by Travelzoo found 34% say they are more likely to holiday in the UK, 41% are now actively avoiding destinations impacted by terror attacks, and 11% say they are more likely to book an all-inclusive package when travelling to Europe.
Although 33% of Britons are planning half term breaks next week, 22% say they are avoiding Europe due to the drop in sterling against the euro.
But the survey found Spain and France continue to be the favourite European holiday destinations for half term, in spite of the weakened pound.
"As we approach the last few months of 2016, we can see that there are many factors impacting the desire to travel to what, just two years ago, were some of the top autumn and winter destinations," said Travelzoo European president Richard Singer.
"The situation right now could be described as a perfect storm. We have increased pressure on the price of European holidays, caused by the falling value of the pound, combined with two of the key affordable destinations – Sharm el Sheikh and Tunisia – continuing to be off the menu for British holidaymakers.
He said Travelzoo’s industry partners are reporting that October half term bookings have been fairly stable.
"However there is definitely concern in the market about Christmas and February half term, where we expect to see the true impact of Brexit and other global events," he said.
"We predict the Canaries will maintain their status as the top destination, but consumers should bear in mind there are other destinations that could offer better value in the coming months. Gibraltar, Jordan, Muscat, Morocco, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the other Emirates are all looking strong in terms of value for money right now."
The survey for Travelzoo’s 2016 Travel Trends report was conducted with an online questionnaire by third-party research agency Atomik.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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