How Britons are disappearing now more than ever, despite rising costs of living and political instability abroad, research reveals

Despite the cost of living crisis and political instability in many parts of the world, people are going on holiday more than ever – with Spain remaining the most popular overseas destination.

Britons took an average of 3.94 holidays in the last 12 months, a slight increase on the previous year and surpassing the peak of 3.91 in 2019 before the Covid pandemic brought travel to a standstill, according to research by travel company ABTA.

The most prolific travelers were families and people under 35, with 18-24 year olds making an average of 5.33 trips per year; 25 to 24 year olds go on holiday 6.43 times and families with children over five years old go on holiday 5.32 times.

Travel has “outperformed all other consumer products and services” over the past two years, despite higher interest rates leading to “general belt tightening”, according to Abta’s CEO Mark Tanzer.

Britons took an average of 3.94 holidays in the past twelve months. This was slightly higher than last year, surpassing the peak of 3.91 in 2019 before the Covid pandemic brought travel to a standstill (file image)

Speaking yesterday at the opening of the trade body’s congress in Greece, Mr Tanzer identified a trend of ‘regular holidaymakers’, with more than half of the 2,000 adults who took part in the survey saying holidays ‘supported their mental health ‘.

Last year, respondents revealed that electronic gadgets such as phones and tablets would be the last things they would cut back on to combat rising costs.

This year it’s the holidays, with only 32 percent saying they would reduce their annual holiday spending.

Package holidays remain the most popular ways to travel abroad, with more people going to Spain than anywhere else, followed by France, Italy, the United States, Greece and Portugal.

Nearly half (48 percent) of respondents visited a beach destination, while 43 percent opted for a city trip.

The share of holidaymakers traveling with children and choosing cruises has almost doubled in the past five years, from 8 percent in 2019 to 15 percent this year.

The most prolific travelers were families and people under 35, with 18-24 year olds making an average of 5.33 trips per year; 25 to 24 year olds go on holiday 6.43 times, and families with children over five years old go on holiday 5.32 times (file image)

ABTA says there has also been an increase in the number of holidaymakers booking with a travel agent or tour operator – rather than going it alone – from 34 per cent to 43 per cent.

Reasons for this include ease of booking, value for money and access to professional help and advice if something goes wrong.

Speaking about the travel sector, Mr Tanzer said the pledge to use 10 per cent sustainable aviation fuels on all flights by 2030 will be unachievable or unaffordable unless the government uses revenue from air passenger rights to fund alternative fuels.

He also said Chancellor Rachel Reeves should “oppose any layer of tax that puts holidays out of reach of our customers.”

Mr Tanzer said: ‘In recent years, economic growth and productivity in Britain have been anemic, to say the least.

“The new government has made growth a priority, even an absolute necessity, if it is to balance the books and achieve future spending plans.

‘Travel and tourism must be an integral part of their growth strategy – not only because of the economic value of the industry, but also because of the international connectivity it provides to so many other sectors.’