SAGA nation replaced by younger generation
by Michael Smith
Forget the notion of old aged pensioners dominating UK holiday break hotspots. Over half of young family aged Brits are planning to embrace the best of British in the year ahead by planning to spend their breaks on home turf, sparking a younger vibe across the UK holiday spots.
With recent research showing that the UK’s top holiday destinations will emerge as the winners from the current credit crunch, insurance specialists Towergate Bakers reveals that 51% of 30 something’s will be caravanning in England for their holidays in the year ahead compared to a much smaller 31% of over 55 year olds.
The research has shown that Brits think of drive holidays as fun (14%) and less stressful than flying (10%), moving away from the recent trend to fly off and out of the country.
As part of a new study into UK and drive holidays, Towergate Bakers asked a GB representative sample of more than 2,000 people on the sort of holidays they were planning for the year ahead.
Key Findings:
· As 79% of Brits will opt for a short haul or drive holiday in 2009, the new research suggests a change in trend to the fashion of going abroad for our holidays.
· Dispelling the association of road congestion and stress when it comes to holidaying on the road, 14% of Brits find driving holidays fun and 10% say they are less stressful than flying.
· Holidays on your doorstep – people in East Anglia and the South West are most likely to enjoy UK drive holidays.
Paul Havenhand, Marketing Director at Towergate Bakers Insurance commented:
“At a time when we are set for a revival of traditional UK holiday as Brits save their pennies, our research shows that with young Brits planning to spend their holidays in the UK in the wake of economic turmoil, they will be revamping the image of British holiday destinations.
As the leading caravan insurance provider, we recommend that young Brits heading for British shores next year, check their insurance arrangements before they go on holiday.”
Towergate Bakers is the leading specialist insurance based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. As the leader in its field Towergate Bakers can provide static caravan insurance and touring caravan insurance, as well as insurance for park homes, leisure homes and motor homes. It currently looks after the caravan insurance needs for more than 50,000 policyholders across the UK.
Vacationing at home, in more the style of days gone by by the British seaside and holidaying in the National Parks, and other beautiful places of the British Isles can but be commended from the point of the reduction of environmental footprint, even though it may be done because of the economy and the credit crunch.
However, we can all live in the hope that those that are taking British holidays, whether in hotels, guest houses, self-catering, caravans, narrow boats on the canals, or however and wherever, are going to get the taste of if and will continue to vacation in this country rather than abroad.
Aside from the fact that it will benefit the environment, it will benefit the local tourism industry and the rural economy, if such holidays are taken in the countryside. So many people have in recent years gone abroad on holidays, to the, what I would call, silly places, and have never ever seen the sights of this, their own country.
There is so much to see in one's own country most of the time and I would encourage people to vacation at home – or resorts and such in their own countries – rather than here or there in the sun (which is not all that good for them anyways). Even staying at home, as in staying put at one's own home and creating a great time for oneself and one's children is a great way of going. Local parks are there available, woods and forests as well, and there there are the sights in the local and not so local areas.
I know that some of such places are not necessarily within the financial reach of some, such as a visit to the Tower of London costing a family of four the best part of £100 before one has gotten even started properly and the same is true for some other such, though interesting places.
Nevertheless, vacationing at home or in one's own country is, as far as the environmental footprint is concerned, one of the best options and also the better options, in general, for one's nerves.
Spending hours in an airport for checking in with all the security stuff and all that certainly is not my idea of starting a holiday. And that is just the start. Followed by some ours of being couped up in an aircraft and then the same rigmarole getting to the other end. Erm, sorry, but I pass on that. In fact, the way I am seeing things it seems that there are many others that are also beginning to pass on that.
© M Smith (Veshengro), December 2008
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'British Riviera' is the new trend for holidaying in 2009
