Package holidaymakers 'neglect local culture'

Holidaymakers opting for a package deal rather than putting their own break together are missing out when it comes to sampling the local culture, according to a new survey.

Conducted by Halifax Travel Insurance, the poll found that those who head abroad on an all-inclusive or half-board break spend just seven hours on average outside of the hotel.

Seven in ten respondents said they never visit modern tourist attractions outside their hotel when on a package holiday, with 42 per cent never mingling with any local people or attempting to pick up the local language.

Many package holidaymakers would rather eat in the hotel restaurant than head out to find a new food experience, as well as stay in the hotel bar when they could be sampling the local nightlife, the survey also indicated.

"Our research strongly suggests that the idea of a holiday, to most, is a room with pool and somewhere to eat," commented Paul Birkhead of Halifax.

However, the days of two weeks on a package deal may be over - another survey by Halifax found last month that Brits are increasingly opting for long-haul mini-breaks to destinations such as New York and Los Angeles.

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