Over 80% of Brit holidaymakers 'to travel again next year'

Some 83 per cent of British holidaymakers plan to travel abroad again in the next 12 months, regardless of how much trouble the economy is in, according to research.

Commissioned by the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), Ipsos Mori polled some 700 people who had taken a recent overseas holiday and found that 47 per cent do not plan to make any changes to their travel arrangements because of the economic situation.

Exactly half of the people polled said they will not be reducing the length of their holiday and 46 per cent said they will not change their choice of destination.

The strength of the euro appears to be having an affect on holiday plans, however, with only 46 per cent of people planning to visit western Europe in the next year, compared to 65 per cent of travellers who visited the region in 2008.

Abta recently revealed that enquiries to join the association doubled following the failure of the XL holiday group.

Chief executive Mark Tanzer said: "In the current volatile climate, customers are looking for the reassurance and confidence that booking with an Abta travel expert will bring. More and more companies are looking to raise their game and benefit from the gold standard of the industry, Abta membership."

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