New research by the UK’s fastest growing online independent travel agent has revealed that just under two thirds, 64%, of Brits believe that holidaying in the UK is ‘too expensive;’ with over a quarter claiming that they would rather ‘go without a holiday’ than holiday on UK shores.

New research from the UK’s fastest growing independent travel agent, http://www.sunshine.co.uk, has unveiled a hostility amongst Brits towards the cost of holidaying at home; with just under two thirds, 64%, of people stating that they believe that holidaying in the UK is ‘too expensive.’ Furthermore, over half, 52%, believed that holidaying in Europe was ‘cheaper’ than staying in the UK.

The poll was carried out by http://www.sunshine.co.uk in order to delve into the attitudes of British holiday makers towards holidaying at home in the UK, with 1,472 people subsequently taking part.

Respondents to the study were asked the question, “Would you holiday within the UK, rather than go abroad?” Just under three fifths, 59%, of those who took part answered “no”; with only one fifth, 21%, choosing a definite “yes” answer.

Of the respondents, just under two thirds, 64%, explained that holidaying in the UK was “too expensive;” whilst a quarter, 23%, explained that staying in the UK “would not feel like a holiday.” One in ten, 8% stated that they believed UK holidays were “tacky.” Furthermore, more than half, 52%, believed that holidaying in Europe was “cheaper than the UK.”

Those that believed that holidaying in the UK was too expensive were further asked to explain why. Whilst one in five, 19%, stated that they believed the packages on offer were not as cheap as abroad; the majority, 51%, explained that “bad weather” often encourages UK holidaymakers to spend more to keep themselves amused. One in ten, 11%, also believed that ‘cultural excursions’ such as dining in restaurants and visiting attractions, were “more expensive in the UK than in Europe.”

Respondents to the study were also asked the question, “Would you rather go without a holiday, than holiday in the UK?” to which over a quarter, 26%, of respondents to the study answered “yes”. The majority of those that answered “yes” explained that they would rather “save the money for a holiday abroad.”

Chris Brown, co-founder of http://www.sunshine.co.uk, commented on the findings:

“With the home tourism board’s attempts of late to encourage holidaying on Britain’s shores, we thought it would be interesting to gauge the public’s opinions to vacationing on home soil.

“It was interesting to find that the overriding concern amongst the British public was the cost of UK holidays, with many believing that bad weather can cause many to spend more to keep themselves entertained than originally planned. This can indeed often be the case given the unpredictable weather of a typical British summer; as holidaymakers cannot guarantee being able to occupy themselves by simply enjoying the great outdoors.”

He continued:

“Whilst there are some great holiday deals to be had here in the UK, many are right in thinking that holidays abroad can often be cheaper; given the wealth of choice on offer. What’s important is to ensure that you are getting the best deal possible, especially if finances are of concern. Shop around for the best holiday deals; that way, you can ensure you have a few spare pennies tucked away for an unexpected rainy day.”

ENDS

LINK: http://www.sunshine.co.uk

For more information, or to arrange interviews with Chris Brown, please contact Shannon Haigh of 10 Yetis PR Agency on shannon@10yetis.co.uk

Editors Notes

sunshine.co.uk is the UK’s leading online independent travel agent and was founded by Chris Brown and Chris Clarkson, the same people behind Holiday Watchdog which was bought by TripAdvisor in February 2008 for an undisclosed amount of money. Sunshine.co.uk offers low cost holidays and budget flights to destinations all over the world as well as great deals and discounted hotels.

TravelMole recently voted sunshine.co.uk as the best Travel Agency in the 2010 web awards.

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