Holiday market recovery may not happen in 2010

The industry may not see the recovery in the holiday market it expected this year, according to research from TNS for Travel Weekly.
 
Almost four in 10 of the customers surveyed are not planning to take a holiday away from home in 2010 – a similar number to those surveyed in December 2008.
 
For those who are planning a trip, one in four will choose a holiday in the UK and Ireland. Despite the continued weakness of the pound against the euro, seven out of 10 people planning a short break abroad will opt for a country within the eurozone.
 
Just one in five customers intend to take a long-haul holiday and the same proportion will take more than three holidays in 2010. Some 13% said they were likely to organise their holiday over the Christmas period and early January.
 
The research – which surveyed 1,100 customers between November 27 and December 1 – also revealed that the recession hit consumers’ travel plans harder than expected. At the beginning of 2009, 30% of respondents said they would not be taking a holiday,  but by the end of the year that number had risen to 49%.
 
TNS head of travel and tourism Tom Costley said: “The overall picture of 2010 holiday plans seems very similar to last year, but we know from experience that people’s intentions at the beginning of the year can differ quite substantially to what they eventually choose to do.
 
“The early signs suggest that having at least one holiday away from home is a priority for most of the British population. There is also little evidence of a significant shift towards domestic holidays within the UK, especially as the main holiday of the year.”