December 2006

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City bonuses fuel growth in last minute luxury holidays

CITY BONUSES FUEL GROWTH IN LAST MINUTE LUXURY HOLIDAYS
- One in five British workers book last minute breaks for Christmas
- Increase in trips to the Middle East and South Africa

With bonus time fast approaching, Brits are making the most of their last minute holiday allowance and booking luxury holidays to far flung destinations for this Christmas and New Year. Research from travel insurer MORE TH>N reveals that up to four million workers are willing to pay more and travel further than they would on their summer breaks in order to get away from the cold and top up their tan.

In recent years the favourite spots for sun-starved Brits included Spain, the destination of choice for more than 5 million of them last winter, France with 4.4 million visitors, and Italy with 1.3 million1. But although these more traditional holiday destinations will always be popular, many travellers are becoming more adventurous and travelling much further afield when choosing their winter holiday locations. Since 2000, visits to the Middle East by Britons over the winter months have increased by 23 per cent, Australia by 39 per cent, New Zealand by 78 per cent, and South Africa by 83 per cent2.

This year, with bumper City bonuses forecast, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has seen an increase in the number of last minute bookings being made to far flung destinations, including South Africa and the Caribbean in particular.

Dee Byrne, spokesperson for ABTA, said: “Recently we have seen an increase in the number of people booking luxury holidays, often for the whole family, even including extended family. With bumper City bonuses expected in the run-up to Christmas we are seeing people spending between £25,000 and £30,000 on their last minute holidays.”

More than a fifth of workers are frantically booking breaks before the year end in an effort to use as much leave as possible before it’s lost - one in four still have 10 or more days holiday to take before the end of the year. As a result, 2.5 million people say they will probably end up visiting destinations they wouldn’t usually choose, and a further 1.7 million say they fear they’ll blow the budget on breaks they hadn’t planned for - potentially adding more stress in the lead-up to Christmas.

MORE TH>N’s research also shows that as the days shorten and the temperatures begin to drop, almost one in 10 (nine per cent) more organised Brits are planning ahead, setting aside annual leave and extra cash so that they are able to jet off and escape the British winter.

Despite such a surge in luxury holidays, far too many holiday-makers are still not doing anything to protect themselves from harm while they’re away. One in eight of those heading off to sunnier climates fail to take out travel insurance, with the worst offenders being 17-25 year-olds - one in six claim they never take out travel insurance, either because they forget or simply think they don’t need it. A further 13 per cent rely on their home insurance and European health insurance card.

Keira Clark, head of travel insurance for MORE TH>N, said: “Brits are avid travellers and we often find ourselves in quite far-flung and exotic locations, even when the holiday is planned last minute. Whether breaks are planned well in advance or in an eleventh hour rush, we urge everyone travelling abroad to make sure they have adequate holiday insurance to cover any eventuality.”

The average travel claim is over £7003, yet MORE TH>N travel insurance starts from as little as £8.93 for a single trip and £30.45 for annual cover. For more information on MORE TH>N travel insurance phone 0800 300 866 or visit http:/www.morethan.com/travel.

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