An online survey initiated by Thomson and First Choice has indicated that an "overwhelming 80 percent of respondents" expect to take a holiday in 2010 and similar numbers said the recession will not lead them to change their holiday plans.

Published: 04 Sep 2009

An online survey initiated by Thomson and First Choice has indicated that an "overwhelming 80 percent of respondents" expect to take a holiday in 2010 and similar numbers said the recession will not lead them to change their holiday plans.

The 2009 Thomson and First Choice annual trends report includes survey results from a nationally representative independent online survey completed by 917 people and was carried out by eDigitalResearch in July 2009. A further 800 Thomson and First Choice customers also completed an online survey over the same period.

Around half the people surveyed are planning to spend the same as this year and an encouraging 24 percent are counting on spending more. Of those people who said the recession had changed their holiday plans this year, around six percent said they had considered package holidays this year so as to offer extra security in case an airline collapsed. But that figure more than doubles to 13 percent for 2010.

A large proportion of travellers (46 percent) said they would use the recession to book five-star hotels at three or four star prices. Travellers may be going further afield next year as well – more than 23 percent said they look to buy a longer flight for the same price as one nearer to home. The proportion of people saying they would consider booking all-inclusive holidays jumps from 10 percent to 16 percent for next year.

One major cloud on the horizon for travellers in 2010 is the Air Passenger Duty tax increases planned by the British government which will come into force in two stages - from November 2009. These will increase the tax on long haul flights – typically 12 hours or more - from £40 to £80.