Loveholidays.com’s interactive timeline charts shifting trends in British holidays

Loveholidays.com’s interactive timeline charts shifting trends in British holidays

Growing OTA loveholidays.com has collated almost 200 of its customers’ holiday snaps, to show the changing face of British tourism.
Holiday Memories captures 194 holiday photos, spanning from 1903 to the present day – taking the user on a visual tour through history, from the British seaside holidays typical of the early 20th century to the more exotic trips organised today.

Growing OTA loveholidays.com has collated almost 200 of its customers’ holiday snaps, to show the changing face of British tourism.

Holiday Memories captures 194 holiday photos, spanning from 1903 to the present day – taking the user on a visual tour through history, from the British seaside holidays typical of the early 20th century to the more exotic trips organised today.

Personal messages have been attributed to each photo, recounting the moment they were taken.

Desktop users can switch from the timeline view to a map view, showing how modern-day holidaymakers travel as far as Thailand, Cuba, Peru and New Zealand.

Research undertaken to support the timeline highlights that the first real breakthrough for UK holidays came in 1938, when the Holidays with Pay Act was passed, guaranteeing regular annual holiday time for all workers in the UK.


Blackpool, 1903 “My Grandad John aged just 6 posing in his Sunday best for a holiday photo in Blackpool around 1903. The studio was fully equipped with a local seaside canvas backdrop and a real donkey and cart! Always makes me smile!”

Before this holidays were generally considered a luxury for the rich.

It took more than a decade for overseas travel to really take off – with the first package holidays being introduced in 1950, making it easier and more affordable to travel.

According to the research, the low-cost airline model came to Britain in 1985. Shortly afterwards, the number of holidays abroad taken by residents in the UK surpassed 20 million.

Deregulation of EU aviation also began, allowing airlines to set up bases anywhere in Europe.


Formby Beach, 1920 “My wild twice-great aunts & uncles in the sea in Formby in the roaring twenties”

OTAs were first introduced in 1995, while 2014 saw 238 million passengers pass through UK airports.

Matthew Lawson, e-commerce director at loveholidays.com, said: “As travel specialists, we’re always on the lookout for what’s next in UK tourism, but it’s often just as interesting to look back and see how much things have changed.

“This is what inspired us to launch our Holiday Memories timeline – collating some truly amazing photographs and moments that will now last forever.

“With advancements in technology and aviation, holidays have changed almost beyond recognition and people are travelling further than ever before – but it’s fantastic to see people were having just as much fun back then as they are now.”


France, 1983 “Getting the bread for breakfast with my two older sisters”


View Holiday Memories here.