Brits to spend £1,801 on getting away in 2007

The average British household is set to fork out £1,801 on holidays abroad in 2007, new research shows.



The figure is an increase of 52.6 per cent on the amount spent in 2001, analysis from InsureandGo found, showing how the cost of getting away from it all has soared in the past five years.

According to the research, the cost of holidays, and of spending money to take away, has been increasing by 8.92 per cent per year.

Despite recent concerns about climate change and carbon footprints, Londoners were happy to spend the most of all the UK regions, with holidays costing an average of £1,965.60 between 2003 and 2006.

InsureandGo's Perry Wilson commented: "Holidays are as popular as ever and as a nation we take well over 60 million trips abroad a year.

"Holiday inflation is probably being fuelled by the fact that many people now travel further for their holidays and take more adventurous and, therefore, often more expensive breaks."

Recent research from Holiday-Rentals.co.uk revealed that the most popular destinations among Brits seeking the summer sun were Spain, France, Italy and the Canary Islands, with Malta, Morocco and Montenegro also drawing visitors.

Holidaymakers warned of bogus holiday clubs

Holidaymakers jetting off for some spring sunshine from Gatwick Airport today (Friday) have been warned about the danger of bogus holiday clubs.

According to West Sussex County Council, bogus holiday clubs sting 400,000 people every year throughout the UK, costing them as much as £1 billion.

Trading Standards and Office of Fair Trading staff have been handing out leaflets to the public warning of the tactics used by touts of bogus clubs, which often include approaching consumers on holiday with scratchcards.

The scratchcards will always be a winner but holidaymakers will have to come to a presentation about a new holiday venture in order to collect their prize, when they will be made to feel they are joining "an exclusive club offering exciting and great value holidays", West Sussex County Council said.

Often, however, holidays could be obtained at the same price through the internet or at a local travel agency.

Alison Wheeler, principal trading standards officer, said: "Holiday clubs are marketed as a flexible alternative to timeshare, promising a lifetime of discounted holidays anywhere in the world.

"But they often promise far more than they deliver. After spending thousands of pounds many consumers find that they have bought little more than access to an internet booking service."

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