Britons 'now see holidays as an essential'
Britons 'now see holidays as an essential'
Britons increasingly see jetting off abroad for a holiday as an essential rather than a luxury, new data indicates.According to research conducted by travel search engine Multicom, the number of holiday bookings made in the first quarter of 2008 was up by 40 per cent compared to last year.
Chris Nourse, spokesperson for the firm, takes this to be a sign that people are not willing to give up their annual holiday, even if they do not have as much cash to spare as in previous years.
He said: "Years ago, holidays abroad were seen as a luxury for the few who could afford them.
"Now, it seems they are being seen more and more as an essential which people refuse to give up just because they have less money in their pocket after paying their other bills."
He added that although the travel industry will still be affected if household inflation continues to rise, it should prove more resilient to an economic downturn than people have previously predicted.
Last month, the World Travel and Tourism Council predicted that the global tourism industry will grow at a rate of 4.4 per cent a year over the course of the next ten years.
This article was brought to you by holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK's No.1 holiday home website.
2 April 2008
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