Holidays over presents at Christmas

SUN-seeking Brits would rather spend their hard-earned cash on a winter holiday than buying presents for loved ones at Christmas, a study by British Airways has found. The average Brit plans to spend £1,260 each on Christmas this year, including £360 on presents. However we would spend a similar amount – £1,345 – on a winter getaway and 45 per cent of us say we would rather splurge our cash on a winter getaway than a Christmas giveaway. 

After presents, the biggest drain on Brits’ wallets over Christmas was found to be food (£180), travel (£179), drink (£113) and decorations (£86). British Airways, who commissioned the survey as part of their Winter Sun campaign which offers an array of holiday and flight deals over the winter season, found that twenty-eight per cent of those surveyed said they would rather give holidays as presents rather than objects, believing they create more lasting memories than objects placed under the tree. 

A quarter (25%) of Brits say they have no idea what they received for Christmas last year – and 40 per cent can only remember some gifts they received. 

For two-thirds of Brits (65 per cent) the stress of the festive season is such that they say they need a holiday to get over the Christmas break. 

Nearly half (47 per cent) said they go on holiday if they could get out of the obligatory Christmas visit to families and friends and more than half (54 per cent) say they need a holiday during the Christmas break itself. 


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Up in the air . . .

ETIHAD Airways offers Early bird travel deals for 2018 , the offers are available for departures out of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, meaning there is no better time to book a 2018 European holiday and to enjoy Etihad Airways’ acclaimed service and hospitality. With connections via Abu Dhabi, travellers have a host of European destinations to choose from, including London, Paris, Rome, Dublin and Athens. The promotion is available for bookings until 6 October, for travel from 1 February – 26 September 2018.

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Pirates of the Caribbean inspires more searches on Caribbean Holidays

FLIGHT searches by UK holidaymakers to the #Caribbean are up by 50 per cent year on year according to leading global flight search and travel deals website, Cheapflights, as Brits are inspired by the most recent Pirates of the Caribbean movie and new flight routes and hotels across the region.

Flight searches to this popular region have been on the increase all year, as Brits seek good value alternatives for their summer holidays from busy Med resorts, and the uncertainty that continues to hang over those in North Africa. The build-up to, and release of, the latest chapter in Captain Jack Sparrow’s adventures - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – on 25 May has further shone a spotlight on the Caribbean, contributing to an overall year on year increase of 50% between January and the beginning of June. Although the film was shot mostly in Australia (the previous installment, On Stranger Tides, was shot mostly in Hawaii), the name and locations are evocative of tropical islands such as St Lucia and The Grenadines, which historically harboured the real-life pirates that inspired the franchise.

Deals to the Caribbean available now include:

Save up to £200 per couple off seven nights in Barbados on selected dates in September and October 2017. Book before 13 June to secure seven nights at Time Out Hotel in Barbados, close to the renowned Oistins Fish Market, from £649pp including return flights from London and air-conditioned B&B accommodation. 

Save up to £464 per couple off seven nights five-star all-inclusive at Occidental Grand Xcaret in Mexico on selected dates in September 2017. Book before 14 June to secure seven nights accommodation and return flights from London from £929pp.  

www.cheapflights.co.uk



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My America Last Minute Deals

MY AMERICA HOLIDAY is a tour operator specialising in tailor-made holidays to the USA. The company offers everything from city breaks with flights and accommodation to multi-destination holidays, tailor-made fly drive itineraries, escorted tours, cruises, rail holidays and much more.

They have some spectacular offers saving up to 35% on deals to Las Vegas, New York, Orlando and Cancun but booking must be made by September 30th.

www.myamericaholiday.co.uk

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US and Italy top Travelzoo's 'most-wanted' survey

LONG-HAUL travel and the #US are set for a big 2016, according to a study by travel deals firm Travelzoo. 

A survey of 5,000 active travellers in the UK, Germany, US, Canada, France, Spain, China, and Australia claims to have found ‘unprecedented’ interest in long-haul travel.

Travelzoo's Travel Trends survey put the US top for the first time on British travellers' wish list, with almost a third of respondents (32%) nominating it as the destination they most want to visit in 2016, narrowly beating #Italy (31%) into second place.

With 30% indicating they plan to stay in the UK next year, old favourite Spain was pushed into fourth place with 25%.

Despite November’s terrorist murders in Paris, France (18%) retained its top five place in the list of countries British holidaymakers most want to visit.

The Caribbean (15%), Australia (15%) and Canada (12%) also made the top 10, showing an on-going trend among Brits for longer-haul #travel destinations.

The high level of interest in the US and Western Europe is offset by dip in consumer confidence regarding holidays to some North African destinations. Some 80% of those surveyed said the events of 2015 had changed their travel plans next year, and a fifth (20%) said they will spend more time considering airline and travel routes due to concerns about safety and terrorism.

Louise Hodges, Travelzoo head of communications, said: ‘British travel habits are changing. For the first time, America has overtaken European favourites such as Italy, France, and Spain as the most desired holiday destination. We are also hearing from UK travel agents and airlines that Eilat in Israel is tipped for a resurgence of interest next year. New airlines routes are opening up and we’ve seen some incredible deals to this winter sun destination which looks set to gain UK interest as Sharm el-Sheikh continues to remain closed for business.’

According to booking trends seen by Travelzoo, US destinations attracting high interest for 2016 include Boston, New York, and other East Coast regions, while in Italy, hot spots include Ischia, Sardinia, Sicily, Sorrento, and Brindisi. 

Top 10 holiday choices for British tourists in 2016:

US
Italy
UK
Spain
France
Greece
Caribbean
Australia
Portugal
Canada

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