UK travellers prioritise holidays over other spending, ABTA report finds

There’s an even stronger desire to travel with the majority of those asked saying they would rather cut back spending in other areas.

That’s one of the findings from ABTA’s annual Holiday Habits report which found that more UK people went on holiday in the last year, with increases in both UK and overseas trips.

Of those asked, it was the over 65s showing the fastest growing intention to travel overseas in the next year while a significant proportion said they were likely to visit a country or city they hadn’t been to before.

ABTA’s chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “UK travellers remain ‘determined to discover’ the world, despite what is happening across the globe. Our research finds 65% of people say that holidays are the most important time of year and 80% say they are important for their mental health.”

The survey also found:

• The number of travellers aged over 65, who took a holiday, rose to 80%.
• Spain, France and Italy were the most popular destinations followed by the USA and Greece.
• Ocean cruising maintained its position as the preferred type of cruise with 56% saying they would be interested in taking one, followed by adult-only cruising (35%), cruising around the UK (32%), river cruising (27%), and no-fly cruises (21%).

More desire to travel overseas

Of those asked, it was the over 65s who showed the fastest growing intention to head abroad in the coming year, rising six percentage points.

Along with European destinations, travellers said they were interested in visiting Japan, Canada and the Middle East with almost half of the people asked saying they were likely to visit a country (48%) or a city/resort (54%) they hadn’t been to before.

“As a nation, we are ‘determined to discover’ places and experiences through our holidays, whether that’s uncovering new delights in our favourite destinations or exploring a new place entirely.”

Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive

City breaks and beach holidays, at 46% and 47% respectively, top the list of the type of holidays UK travellers expect to take in the coming 12 months, followed by countryside breaks (25%), multi-destination trips (17%), a trip to the lakes and mountains (16%), a cruise (15%), and adventure holidays (14%). 

And it seems coach holidays are becoming more popular with younger people with the same number of those aged 18-24 choosing a coach break as the over-65s asked. 

Holidays are even more of a spending priority

The survey found that people are nearly twice as likely to cut back on how much they spend on eating out rather than their holidays, to cover the cost of living. 

In addition, UK residents are expecting to spend more on travel than last year with more than a quarter of those who took part saying they are willing to spend extra to make sure they get the destination they want. 

Importance of tour operators

The confidence people feel when they book their trip through a travel agent is among the popular reasons people gave for doing so with more than a fifth saying they have a better holiday when they have used a travel professional to book it. 

Value for money, saving time, booking for a large group and access to expert help and advice were all given as reasons for booking with travel professionals. 

The travel industry helps people feel confidence to travel

Mark added: “As a nation, we are ‘determined to discover’ places and experiences through our holidays, whether that’s uncovering new delights in our favourite destinations or exploring a new place entirely, holidays offer lots of opportunity for discovery.

“Despite a challenging and changeable global environment, people are still heading overseas, and even more so this year. It shows we have a resilient sector, and that is often down to the work the travel industry does to help people feel confident to travel.

“People are willing to spend on their holidays, but do so with value for money at the front of their mind. Our report finds that the number one reason people book a package holiday is to get value for money and, similarly, it is among the top reasons for booking with a travel professional.

“As an industry there are lots of reasons to be positive, but we can’t be complacent - particularly recognising that it is a price sensitive market and simple things like a warm summer in the UK can sway bookings.”