Top British Tour Operators Reduce Offerings In Anticipation Of Weak Sales

November 20, 2008 7:35 p.m. EST

London, England (AHN) - A survey of holiday plans among British parents showed that more than 25 percent of U.K. dads and moms are thinking of taking a caravan trip around the country.

Holiday companies in Britain are anticipating a decline in tourists due to the higher cost of travel, especially overseas. Caravan holiday was the alternative choice by 27 percent of British parents, while 49 percent prefer to go to a seaside resort and 40 percent plan to camp.

Paul Havenhand of Towergate Bakers, the insurance firm which commissioned the study, told the U.K. Telegraph, "Sticking to the best of Britain is becoming the fashionable thins to do. Rather than take off abroad, parents are choosing to revisit the places of their childhood in the year ahead so their children can have the same experiences they did."

A number of administration officials are fond of caravaning. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith hies off her family to Norfolk. However, some still prefer overseas vacations like Housing Minister Margaret Beckett who frequents France on summer holidays and former Prime Minister Tony Blair who heads off to the Caribbean.

Because of the expected decline in overseas vacations, the top British tour operators are offering less summer 2009 holiday destinations. TUI Travel reduced its summer offerings by 27 percent, while Thomas Cook will take away 15 percent.