Rising consumer confidence means people are now less likely to cut back on their holiday budget compared to 12 months ago, a survey out today (Thursday) reveals.
More than half (53%) of consumers in the UK said last year they intended to cut back on holiday expenditure in the coming months, compared to four in 10 (38%) in 2014.
Households spend on average £1,750 a year on holiday, excluding flights, but only three in 10 people (30%) say they trust the airline and tour operator, according to the poll of 2,086 people for consumer watchdog Which?
It disclosed the top five problems experienced with a holiday in the UK or abroad in the last two years:
- Delays or cancellations with your flight (30%)
- Long waits to reclaim baggage (25%)
- Accommodation being different to what was described (24%) = Unhelpful or rude staff (24%)
- Delays or cancellations with other forms of transport e.g. train, ship or taxi (20%) = Accommodation being unclean (20%)
- Lack of information regarding delays, cancellations or other problems by staff (17%)
As a result, more than 9,000 people have signed up a Which? ‘Stop the Holiday Hassles’ campaign designed to highlight ‘travel nightmares’ and ’dodgy deals’.
Which? executive director Richard Lloyd said:“It is good news that consumer confidence appears to be on the increase but trust in the travel industry is still low.
“Consumers spend hundreds of pounds on their annual break and deserve a hassle-free summer getaway.
“We’re asking travellers to share their holiday gripes with us so we can expose the dodgy deals and shoddy service to stop the holiday hassles.”