Brits to holiday despite economic woes – TripAdvisor poll

Two thirds (66%) of Britons plan to take between two and four holidays in 2012 despite concerns over the economy

Two thirds (66%) of Britons plan to take between two and four holidays in 2012 despite concerns over the economy.

A quarter plan to spend more in 2012 on travel than this year with only 16% aiming to spend less and 59% spending about the same, according to an annual TripAdvisor poll.

But a third (32%) admit they will not pay for their 2012 holiday up front, with one-fifth (21%) taking over two months to pay their holiday bill.

The most common 2012 holiday budget for Brits is between £2,000 and £4,000, which is the expected spend for 29% of people in the coming year.

Around 17% are unconcerned about the economic situation as they plan to spend £8,000 or more on leisure travel in 2012.

One third said the economy was their biggest concern in travel planning, while despite trouble in Europe, only 27% of Europeans feel the same way.

Short-haul travel is expected to outpace long-haul by a larger margin in 2012 than this year as travellers look to economically hard-hit eurozone countries – Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, for example – for good deals.

More than a third (36%) are now more likely to buy holiday insurance as a result of uncertainty in the industry last year

The following factors were found to be the most likely to affect travel planning in 2012:

1. The current economic climate
2. Terrorism
3. Potential strikes/industrial action
4. Air Passenger Duty (APD)
5. Travel firms collapsing

A TripAdvisor spokeswoman said: “This year’s results demonstrate that while financial concerns are clearly front of mind, resilient Brits are not prepared to sacrifice their 2012 holidays.

“Brits are considering their holiday budgets carefully but crucially we still intend to spend on leisure travel, with the vast majority planning on spending at least the same as last year.”