Out of gloom there’s still sun
IF you read the front-page story of last Saturday’s Daily Mail, you could have been forgiven for wanting to shut up shop indefinitely.
The Mail screamed that interest-rate rises, higher utility bills, less disposable income and the huge amount of people in debt or declaring themselves bankrupt meant doom and gloom for the high street.
When it comes to having less money in the pocket, everyone starts tightening the purse strings, doing without the luxuries, or opting for a cheaper model.
Once upon a time, a holiday was deemed a luxury. Now, most people view it as a necessity or even a right.
And, while a decade or so ago, people saved up for their annual two weeks in the sun, now it’s more common to take two or even three holidays a year.
This week, we sent our reporter out on to the streets of London to find out whether people thought they would have to forego the foreign holiday next year because of fears over the economy.
Nine out of 10 of them said they would have no hesitation about booking a holiday, although a couple said they may have to alter the budget if money was particularly tight.
It seems that all this worrying about doom and gloom is a little premature.
By the ‘bye
ALL good things must come to an end, and so, after two years as deputy editor at Travel Weekly, I’m moving on to pastures new at the end of this month.
I’m still going to be involved in the travel industry though, so I look forward to seeing many of you around and about at various travel functions in the forthcoming months.
I’ve had a brilliant time on Travel Weekly and would like to thank my colleagues for all their hard work and wish everyone the best for the future.