ABTA Travel Trends Report
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Embargoed until 00:01hrs Tuesday 22 nd December 2009 TRAVEL TRENDS REPORT 2010 For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact Frances Tuke, ABTA on 020 3117 0514 / 07850 712325 1 | P a g e Overview 3 1. Observations from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) 5 2. Developing Travel Trends 8 3. Hotspots for 2010 13 Dubai 13 Germany 14 Morocco 15 South Africa 16 Canada 17 Poland 18 Turkey 19 Egypt 20 USA 22 Tunisia 24 India 25 UK 26 Croatia 28 Malta 29 New Zealand 29 4. Top destinations 30 5. Top short haul destinations Spain 32 France 34 Italy 35 Greece 36 Ireland 38 Portugal & Madeira 39 Holland – The Netherlands 40 Cyprus 41 6. Top long haul destinations Caribbean 42 Australia 46 Thailand 48 Mexico 49 7. Hot Trends Cruise 50 Weddings and Honeymoons 52 The luxury market 54 2 | P a g e 1. Overview 2010: The Start of a New Decade Never have so many of us travelled so frequently – from the youngest of babies to the thrill-seeking octogenarian. In many ways, this last decade has been a golden age for travel. We have seen an increase in disposable income, unprecedented levels of borrowing, developments in the internet, no frills airlines and Eurostar. This has helped to develop a British culture which has made international travel an everyday activity. Rises in adventure holidays, career breaks for the middle-aged, and a growth in travel to Africa, Antarctica and Egypt have punctuated the travel landscape. The cruise industry has seen a meteoric rise in serving the mainstream, while the steady growth of d-i-y holidays has matched a fall in packages. In 2010 we also stand at the dawn of an era of space tourism. In the last ten years the industry has had to tackle terrorism, a Gulf War, SARS, tsunami, bird flu, swine flu, and most significantly the first recession to be truly global. Throughout it all, the travel industry has proved to be robust, resilient and dynamic, finding new ways to deal with adversity. At the start of the next decade, there is a golden opportunity for the European travel industry to rectify the issues surrounding financial protection. The industry is also well aware that unrestricted growth is not necessarily the best course of action for its own sustainability. There are huge efforts to ensure technological developments in aviation will reduce carbon emissions. These efforts coincide with those to enhance the positive benefits of tourism within destinations. Sustainable tourism is not just about climate change, but also about ensuring local people in the destinations we love to visit - enjoy the economic benefits of tourism. In 2010 Stockholm will become the first official Environmental Capital in Europe. The city has an impressive record of environmental improvements and innovation, succeeding in reducing carbon emissions by over 25% since 1990, and plans are underway to be entirely without fossil fuels by 2050. Individuals too seem to want to put something back. Together with a greater demand for experience-based holidays, holidaymakers increasingly want to make sure they are helping others through their adventures. The term ‘chadventure’ – has been coined by gapyear.com – for those embarking on adventure while raising money for charity. Similarly, the rather tortured term 3 | P a g e ‘voluntourism’ has gained currency. Tour operators are cottoning onto the desire to be philanthropic through travel, and some are seeking tie-ups with NGOs. 2009 Despite the economic climate, the travel industry has proved to be remarkably resilient in 2009. It is not the first time the UK has seen a 10 per cent fall in passenger numbers. The first Gulf war precipitated similar percentage falls in 1992, yet the number of visits taken abroad since then has more than doubled. Pax. Nos 80 69.54 69.45 69.01 70 66.44 64.19 61.42 60 58.28 59.37 60 56.84 53.88 50.87 50 45.96 41.35 42.05 39.63 40 35.84 33.84 31.18 30.81 30 20 10 0 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 In 2009 the long summer holiday was the big ticket item which was protected from cut-backs. Some companies have reported that the recession has resulted in a rise in single travellers, or those taking ‘solidays’. This term refers to jet-setters leaving their credit-crunch affected friends at home. However, according to Euromonitor, a new breed of ‘funemployed’ was also borne. For many who suffered the axe of redundancy, the lure of discounted flights and hotels – particularly to and in long haul destinations - was too good to refuse. If you were laid off, you needed to take off. 2009 also saw a huge growth in social networking, which was already widely used as a marketing tool within the travel industry. Consumers are now advised to sign up to social networking sites belonging to travel companies in order to obtain some of the best deals. 4 | P a g e 2. Observations from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) deals with about three million consular enquiries and supports some 75,000 Brits in difficulty abroad each year, from visiting those who have been hospitalised or arrested, to rescuing citizens from forced marriages. The FCO has provided destination specific information throughout this report. The FCO has a simple message to travellers - have a great time while you’re away, but make the necessary preparations before you go. Before Britons travel abroad, the FCO advises the following preparation steps: 1. Take out comprehensive travel insurance and read the small print – for example, you may need to extend your cover for certain activities such as riding mopeds or jet-skiing 2. If travelling within the EU, get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for free or reduced emergency care – you still need full travel insurance though! Also remember, you can call 112 to contact the emergency services in any EU country 3. Research the country you are visiting before you go. Visit www.fco.gov.uk/travel or call 0845 850 2829 for the latest information, or to sign up for regularly updated alerts 4. Take enough money with you, in a mix of payment types, and arrange access to emergency funds – don’t keep all your money in the same place either 5. Visit your GP well in advance to ask about any vaccinations or medication – if you take prescription medication, pack enough for your whole trip plus a few days in case you are delayed returning home 6. Check your passport is valid and has next of kin details filled in – have all necessary visas 7. Make copies of important travel documents and keep separately from the originals 8. Make sure your mobile phone will work abroad and that you pack the charger 9. Register with our LOCATE service which helps the Foreign Office to track down British nationals in a crisis. Register before you travel at www.fco.gov.uk/locate 10. Familiarise yourself with local driving laws – and make sure your licence is current and valid 11. Find out where your nearest British Embassy, or Consulate will be and take their numbers What FCO can and cannot do to help British nationals abroad FCO’s priority is protecting the welfare of British nationals abroad and they will do their best to assist people when they suffer serious problems abroad. 5 | P a g e The FCO can: The FCO can’t: • Issue you with a replacement • Get you out of prison passport • Help you enter a country if you don’t • Give you a list of local lawyers, have a valid passport interpreters, doctors or funeral • Give you legal advice or search for directors missing people • Contact friends and family back • Get you better treatment in hospital home for you or prison than is given to local • Help people with mental illness people • Provide information about • Pay any bills or give you money transferring funds • Make travel arrangements for you Britons in Difficulty As an indication of the types of cases the FCO deals with, over the period April 08 – March 09, 5,430 1 Britons needed consular assistance in Spain. There were 1,534 British arrests in the USA, 2,446 passports were lost or stolen in Australia and 433 Britons were hospitalised in Greece. In addition to assistance cases, FCO staff around the world dealt with 2.1m consular enquiries last year. 2 Arrests and drug offences: 2,290 Britons were arrested in Spain last year, significantly more than any other country. However as a proportion of the number of visitors, Britons were most likely to be arrested in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (294) followed by Thailand (202) and the USA (1,534). Arrests for drugs offences formed a significant percentage of these arrests, contributing to a quarter of the total arrests in Thailand. There were 991 total arrests for drug offences worldwide which accounted for around a seventh of all arrestable offences. Topless sunbathing, swearing and public displays of affection can also lead to arrest in some countries, highlighting the need for Britons to ensure they carefully research the area to which they are travelling. Local laws and customs can vary from the UK significantly and ignorance of these laws can lead to more severe punishments than in the UK. 1 Lost/stolen passports are not included in the figures because in the vast majority of cases, the work done by consular staff is mainly data entry with no additional assistance required.