Britons are taking fewer overseas holidays, says official survey

The number of trips abroad taken by Britons fell 12 per cent in the 12 months to July, compared to the previous year, showing that many of us are taking fewer holidays while others are going without a holiday altogether.

In total, UK residents made 63 million overseas trips from July 2008 to July 2009, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Travel to North America fell an astonishing 19 per cent to 3.9 million, while trips to Europe were down 12 per cent, suggesting that fewer people are taking more expensive long-haul holidays.

Visits to other parts of the world dropped nine per cent to 9.1 million.

While the figures include all travel, not just holidays, the overall drop in overseas visits does point to fewer holidays for Britons.

We are not the only ones whose overseas holiday budgets are being hit by the recession, however. The number of visits to the UK fell nine per cent in the 12 months to July.

Astonishingly, there were a fifth fewer visitors from North America, who made only 3.4million trips to the UK last year. Holidaymakers from continental Europe were also thinner on the ground than in the previous year as they made nine per cent fewer trips to the UK.

Not only are people taking fewer holidays in the UK, but they are spending less too. Spending by overseas residents in Briton dropped three per cent to £4 billion for the year.

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