Summer visits abroad by UK travellers rise 9.1%

TRAVEL WORLD

Visits abroad by UK travellers last summer rose by 9.1% to 22.4 million, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.
Spending from overseas trips during the July to September peak period was up by 13.6% to £14.4 billion.
The number of holiday trips increased by 8% year-on-year to 15.7 million.
Visits to friends or relatives showed the biggest increase at 12.6% in the quarter, followed by business visits with an increase of 10.3%.
UK residents spent 268.9 million nights abroad in the period, an increase of 13.4% over summer 2014.
The number of nights spent in North America rose by 18% and those to Europe increased by 11.5%, while other countries saw growth of 17%.
Expenditure in Europe rose by 14.3% and spending in North America increased by 25.9%. Spending in other countries was up by 4.3%.
The number of international visitors to the UK in the period increased by 4.7% to 10.5 million but earnings fell by 3.8% to £7.1 billion despite a 6% rise in the number of nights spent, according to ONS.
British now spend almost £700 per person on their annual family holiday, according to new research.
The average per-person spend per trip is now £694, up 20% on five years ago when the average spend was £597.
While the majority of people are shopping around for deals and savings, one in five will spend upwards of £1,000 per person when holidaying with their family this summer.
The time spent planning holidays has also risen from 10 to 13 hours over the same period, the study by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) found.
Decisions on destinations take the most time with more than one in ten people (11%) spending nine hours picking the perfect location.
Despite the care taken on booking, more than a third of people (32%) admit to rushing holiday admin and spending less than half an hour booking insurance and checking for Atol protection.
A fifth (20%) admit they would sacrifice these elements if it meant getting a cheaper deal.
More than two-fifths of holidaymakers (42%) now travel with their extended family, with a quarter taking their grandparents with them.
Wi-Fi is cited higher on the holiday essentials list than a TV in the room, spa or gym.
Travel insurance and Atol protection top the list, followed by many of the usual destination requirements, including beach, transfers included, swimming pool and guaranteed sun.
Andy Cohen, head of the CAA’s Atol section, said: “The tradition of the family holiday remains strong but the shape and size of these holidays is always evolving.
“It is reassuring to us that more and more people each year recognise that protecting your holiday is an essential part of booking your trip, but there remains a significant number who are willing to put a cheap deal ahead of protecting their hard-earned cash”.

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