According to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), it will be a long time before people let the credit crunch stop them from taking holidays, although they may look for more bargain holidays and flights.

A spokewoman for ABTA, Frances Tuke, said that the range of holidays now available plus the importance people assign to being able to get away on their annual break means that they will do anything they can to make sure they get a holiday.  She also said that ABTA was not surprised to find that people are still finding the money they need to go away on holiday this year.  Ms Tuke also added:

“‘We know from previous recessions and difficult times that holidays are the last things that people are prepared to give up and nowadays, with the huge range of choices when it comes to holidays, people can pick ones that will suit their pocket.”

In terms of particular destinations, Spain is apparently “holding up very well”, in spite of some expectations that the eurozone would be unpopular this year.

American Express conducted a survey of over 2,000 people and found that 80 per cent of Brits were unwilling to sacrifice their holiday to save money.