Nine in ten people (88%) have considered changing where they holiday during the summer in the wake of extreme heatwaves in continental Europe and a backlash against overcrowding in popular destinations.
More than a fifth of 2,000 respondents polled (22%) cited concerns over extreme heat, nearly a quarter (23%) referencing overcrowding and a third (32%) stated it was down to increased costs.
Carbon footprint concerns account for just one in ten (11%) people considering a change in location during the summer months.
But this is of more of an issue in the 35-44 age group with 17% stating this as a reason for reconsidering, according to the research by travel insurer Staysure.
Those who prefer overseas summer travel, are mostly drawn to southern countries such as Croatia, Greece, Italy, Spain and the South of France (38%). Meanwhile,
Only one in ten (10%) visit northern countries like Lithuania and Estonia with British holidaymakers drawn to southern Europe mainly for the climate, with two thirds citing this as the primary draw (68%), followed by the culture and food (55%) and the scenery (48%).
However, half of those polled prefer to stay in the UK during the summer.
A quarter (26%) would consider travelling to a country listed on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) ‘no travel’ list, with half of those (49%) stating that they would do so to get outside of their comfort zone despite the likelihood of travel insurance being invalidated.
Staysure chief commercial director Simon McCulloch said: “The extreme heat experienced by holidaymakers this year is one of the reasons people are reconsidering their travel plans for southern Europe.
“The soaring costs, against the backdrop of people feeling financially squeezed and reports of protests in response to overcrowding are also responsible for people considering their options.”