Five million 'to book soon for 2009'

Some five million British travellers will move early and book next year's holiday in the next few months, according to a new survey.

A study carried out by research company TNS for Travel Weekly found that ten per cent of people plan to book their 2009 summer break before December.

Around a quarter of the 2,000 people surveyed said they are already looking at brochures ahead of next year's getaway.

Reasons given for planning holidays so early included the assurance of booking one's preferred holiday destination, taking advantage of early deals and creating time to budget.

TNS head of travel and tourism Tom Costley said: "This early indication of the prospects for the 2009 season must be reassuring for the holiday industry.

"There seems to be resilience among large sections of the population that holidays are of sufficient importance that it is worth planning ahead for 2009, despite economic uncertainty."

Some 60 per cent of the respondents to the survey said the downturn in the economy is unlikely to affect their holiday plans.

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