More people plan to take a holiday this year over 2011 but they will be expecting more for less, research out today shows.
Britons are prioritising their holidays despite the economic climate with 96% saying they will be taking at least one break in 2012, up from the 91% who got away in 2011.
But holiday budgets are being trimmed by almost £200, according to the poll of 5,000 adults by TravelSupermarket.
People spent an average of £829 on their main holiday last year, including flights and accommodation, but in 2012 holiday budgets are set to average £642.
Despite this, they will be looking to go on a longer break this year, with more than half (51%) planning on taking a main holiday of over a week.
The research found that 42% identified price as their top holiday consideration, beating factors such as weather (32%) and accommodation (26%).
Price was considered most important for young couples with children, and was identified by 51%.
There is also a trend towards taking self-catering and all-inclusive breaks – at 31% and 12% of main holidays in 2012 respectively.
People from Nottingham intend to spend the most on their break by spending an average £850 for their main holiday while those from Norwich intend to spend the least of all the UK cities at just £502 per person.
Those aged in their sixties were found to be the age group spending the most at an average of £764 compared to those aged between 18-29, who will spend £547.
A fifth (19%) said they would rely on credit cards to pay for their main holiday and a further 46% said they will have to dip into savings to get away. Less than half (405) said they will be able to afford a holiday on their 2012 disposable income.
The average person Brit plans to take £450 per person in spending money with them on their main holiday – or just over £47 per day. This is up from the 2011 figure of £43 per day.
Men plan on taking on average £100 more with them for their spending money than women – this works out at £505 compared to £404.
Eight per cent plan to take more than £1,000 spending money per person with them for their main break.
TravelSupermarket travel expert Bob Atkinson said: “2012 will be the year of the value-for-money holiday where Brits will be forced to seek out great deals and be savvy when it comes to getting what they want, within budget.
“Brits are clearly looking to get their holiday budgets to work harder for them this year and looking to get away on a longer break than they did in 2011. It’s a typical case of wanting more for less. This may seem unrealistic, but there are set to be some real bargains out there for 2012, so many may well achieve this, particularly if they are flexible about where they go and when.
“Popular European destinations such as Portugal, Spain and Greece will all offer great value in 2012, partly due to the weak euro. Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey will also offer great-value breaks due to the domestic upheaval and inflation pressures we have seen in these countries putting many off – meaning good value for those who do go.”