It turns out that Britons are the worst travel planners of all markets, according to a new Momondo survey. How ill-planned, then, is the British holiday. Considering the following points from the survey results and market accordingly:
—Almost one fifth of Britons never make budgeting decisions ahead of their holidays.
—Only half budget for the total amount they can spend both on the booking phase and during their holiday, the results of a new poll reveal.
—Just 14 percent make a budget for transport to and from the destination, only 10 percent decide on a budget for accommodation and 10 percent admit to selling some possessions to pay for a holiday.
—As many as 43 percent set money aside regularly to be spent on a holiday, while 14 percent pay in installments and 13 percent save up by making regular contributions to a fund shared with friends or family.
—Only 10 percent of 18-22 year-olds do not make a budget, compared to 30 percent of adults aged 56-65.
—18-22 year-olds come out as most responsible with 19 percent and 23 percent respectively taking an extra job or saving in a fund shared with friends and family, in order to afford their travels.
—More than a quarter of British travelers (27 percent) look to make savings on flights while 26 percent will save on accommodation, 14 percent on destination transfers and 24 percent on evenings out.
—A total of 20 percent of Britons questioned don’t worry about how expensive or inexpensive their holiday will be.
A Momondo spokesman said: “It’s surprising that so many Brits just don’t save up for their holidays. Globally however, Brits are far from the worst offenders. “The Germans, the Swiss and the Scandinavians lead the pack with a third of the population not budgeting for their holidays …
Overall, it seems many Brits aren’t strapped for cash as 29 percent don’t do anything special to be able to afford their holidays.”
Railbookers Taken over by Amtrak Tour Operator
Railbookers, a UK-based operator that designs customized rail holidays—they sell U.S. product—has been sold to rail and package tour specialist Yankee Leisure Group, which is based Beverly, Mass. As part of the deal, former Cosmos product and sales director Peter Traynor has been appointed as Railbookers’ new managing director. Yankee Leisure Group said it had been working with Railbookers to deliver its USA holidays since 2008.
“An existing relationship between staff in the UK and U.S., as well as a commercial partnership with significant history, made the acquisition last week a natural fit for the Yankee portfolio,” a company statement said. Yankee Leisure Group, which has been trading for 44 years, is also the national tour operator for Amtrak Vacations, which is the largest North American rail holiday brand.
The U.S. operator said it wanted to “take Railbookers to the next level and aim for similar successes achieved in the U.S. market.” The acquisition also effected the turnover of all existing business to Yankee Leisure Group, which will operate the company going forward.
BA Once Again Britain’s Top Superbrand
British Airways has been ranked as the most loved brand in Britain for the third year in a row.
The airline ran ahead of such “Über Brands” as Apple, John Lewis and Google in the annual “consumer superbrands” list produced by The Centre for Brand Analysis. Another travel brand, Virgin Atlantic, came in 17th position in the top 20 list. The report considered 1,600 brands before shortlisting a number to be put forward to 2,500 adults in the UK. The Top 20 follows.
- British Airways
- Rolex
- Lego
- Dyson
- Gillette
- Mercedes-Benz
- Apple
- Jaguar
- Kellogg’s
- Andrex
- Nike
- Heinz
- Coca-Cola
- John Lewis
- Haagen-Dazs
- Virgin Atlantic,
- Marks & Spencer
- Amazon
- 20.Microsoft
Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of The Centre for Brand Analysis, told The Telegraph: “Conservatism is evident among the British public. “Consumers are continuing to seek out familiar brands with which they have an emotional connection.”
