City breaks are now more popular than beach holidays and more of us than ever before will explore a new country in 2016. These are just two of the holiday trends revealed in a recent survey by Sainsburys Travel Insurance. If you’ve still to firm up your holiday plans, we can reveal the most popular annual leave hot-spots; how much salary you’ll spend and what you’ll do once you get there.
David Bailey Kotor Bay Montenegro
Top holiday activities
Gone are the days of frying on the sand for two weeks as more of us shun the beach for the city.
27% of UK holidaymakers are planning short stays in cities compared to 13% who’ll be flopping on the beach. In the top four holiday categories, there’s a noticeable trend towards active experiences – whether that’s sightseeing, trekking or being pummelled in a state-of-the-art spa.
City breaks: 27%
Beach holidays: 13%
Walking expeditions: 10%
Spa/retreat holidays: 8%
(The Sainsburys Travel Insurance survey was based on responses from 2,003 UK adults between 27-30 November.)
Top tips: If you’ve already done Prague, Paris and Barcelona, check out rising stars: Marseille, Kotor and Bucharest.
If you fancy walking the Camino de Santiago Pilgrim route, read our interview with author, Steve Marriott.
Isaac Camino De Santiago
Top holiday destinations 2016
Despite the continual threat of terrorism, the ABTA trends report 2016 has revealed that the number of holidaymakers who are prepared to travel to a new country has doubled to 18% compared to 9% last year.
And nearly a quarter (23%) will travel to a new resort of city, compared to 10% who said the same last yea.
For European short breaks, Italy, Spain and Portugal are leading the way with France also in the spotlight ahead of Euro 2016.
According to First Choice, TUI UK and Thomson Holidays, long-haul travel has increased by a staggering 350% over the last ten years with the anticipated 2016 hot-spots being Jamaica, Barbados and The United Arab Emirates.
Crazy Diamond Jumeirah Beach Hotel
How much salary will you spend?
How much do you spend on holidays in comparison to your colleagues? If you’ve ever pondered this question, we can reveal that the average holidaymaker expects to spend £846.00 per person, excluding spending money and excursions.
14% will have saved their salary all year to get the holiday they want while 8% pay by credit card to spread the cost.
33% of holidaymakers have already booked their holiday by the end of December 2015. Taking advantage of early bird discounts and having a break to look forward to are cited as being the two main motivating factors.
If you’ve still to book your holiday, read our tips on how to save your salary for travel.
(Source: Sainsburys travel insurance survey)
Have you booked your 2016 annual leave yet? Let us know where you’ll be
jetting off to.