- Brits have 21 days annual leave a year on average
- At half-way point only one-third of allowance has been used
- More than half (57 per cent) have panic booked a holiday, leaving them feeling stressed (36 percent), annoyed (19 percent) and panicked or worried (18 percent)
- Scots have the most leave, averaging at 23.7 days a year, while people from Northern Ireland have the least at just 19 days
- The Welsh and people from the South East book most in advance at eight weeks, while the Northern Irish wait until just 5.4 weeks before-hand
- 45-59 year olds are most likely to plan their leave well ahead?
- 41 per cent of 1,000 surveyed said they run out of leave too quickly
- Nearly half (48 per cent) struggle to book time off as colleagues already have that slot
- Holiday-makers use a huge one-third of their leave on ‘life admin’ days
- People surveyed say they’ve missed out on at least one holiday in the last year, due to lack of annual leave
LONDON, 2016-Jul-12 — /Travel PR News/ — It is already half-way through 2016 and with an average annual leave quote of 21 days, Brits have taken just one-third of that so far, so British Airways has looked into how travellers plan their holidays to see if we’re a nation of ‘panic bookers’ or whether we plan well in advance.
Although 21-days is the average leave amount Scots lead the pack with 23.7 days leave, nearly four days more than the Northern Irish who get the least at just 19 days, but everyone will spend at least seven days of their allowance on ‘personal admin’.
The survey has also shown we’re not a nation that enjoys spontaneity when it comes to a big annual trip with more than half (57 per cent) saying they’ve panic booked a holiday, leaving them feeling stressed (36 percent), annoyed (19 percent) and panicked or worried (18 percent). Most people look to book at seven weeks in advance, although that changes by region with the Welsh and those from the South East giving themselves an eight-week count-down, while the Northern Irish are happy to wait until 5.4 weeks before-hand. Within that, 45-59 year-olds are the most organised booking at 7.7 weeks out, while 16-29 year olds are more laid back, waiting until 6.5 weeks out.
Forty-one per cent of the 1,000 surveyed said they do run out of leave quickly in the year, although that altered significantly by age with 57 per cent of 16-29 years olds most likely to agree, whereas only 26 per cent of 45-59 year olds concurred.
And it seems nearly half (48 per cent) of us find that our preferred leave period has been snapped up by colleagues, while everyone surveyed said they felt they’d missed out on at least one holiday in the last year, due to a lack of annual leave.
Claire Bentley, managing director of British Airways Holidays, said: “We don’t get much leave as a country and according to our survey there are quite a few hurdles to get over to organise a holiday, including co-ordinating leave with colleagues, giving ourselves enough time to organise it and leaving enough free for life admin.
“At British Airways Holidays we work hard to make booking a trip as easy as possible, from our 24-hour customer hotline to offering a holiday deposit from just £150. And with our current sale, which only runs for another week, there are all sorts of trips to be snapped up suiting everyone from the most laid back, last-minute booker through to the most organised travellers who plan months ahead.”
Current deals include:
Tobago – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3.5* Grafton Beach Resort, from £759 per person, travelling on selected dates in September. Includes return flights from Gatwick and all-inclusive accommodation. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/tobago or call 0344 493 0120.
Antigua – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3* Halcyon Cove, from £829 per person, travelling on selected dates in September. Includes return flights from Gatwick and all-inclusive accommodation. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/antigua or call 0344 493 0120.
St Lucia – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3.5* Coco Palm, from £959 per person, travelling on selected dates in September. Includes return flights from Gatwick and all-inclusive accommodation. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/stlucia or call 0344 493 0120.
Barbados – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 3* Discovery Bay by Rex Resorts, from £969 per person, travelling on selected dates in September. Includes return flights from Gatwick and all-inclusive accommodation. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/barbados or call 0344 493 0120.
European late deals
Monaco – British Airways Holidays offers three nights at the 4* Columbus, from £329 per person, travelling September 1 to September 30. Includes return flights from Gatwick and accommodation with breakfast. Book by July 25. For reservations visit ba.com/monaco or call 0344 493 0125.
Tenerife – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 5* Bahia Del Duque, from £969 per person, travelling September 1 to September 30. Includes return flights from Gatwick and accommodation with breakfast. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/tenerife or call 0344 493 0125.
Vienna – British Airways Holidays offers two nights at the 4* Hilton Garden Inn Vienna South, from £169 per person, travelling August 1 – August 31. Includes return flights from London Heathrow and accommodation with breakfast. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/vienna or call 0344 493 0125
Marrakech – British Airways Holidays offers seven nights at the 4* Kenzi Club Agdal Medina (Deluxe/ All Inclusive), from £579 per person, travelling September 1 to September 30. Includes return flights from Gatwick and accommodation with All Inclusive. Book by July 12. For reservations visit ba.com/marrakech or call 0344 493 0125.
British Airways Holidays offers a variety of tools to make booking a holiday even easier. Customers can use the holiday finder tool on ba.com, where they can input ideal temperature, time of year and destination to find their perfect break.
Customers looking for a multi-destination holiday can use the ‘Customise Your Trip’ service available online at BA.com providing total flexibility to combine flights in and out of different airports, book multiple hotels and select car hire for any part of their holiday.
Ends
For further information please contact the British Airways press office at: press.office@ba.com
Notes to editors
- The British Airways summer sale is due to run until July 12, 2016.
- Terms and conditions apply
- Prices listed above are correct at time of issue
- The study was conducted by Ginger Comms on behalf of British Airways in June 2016
- The research sample was 1,000 adults living in the United Kingdom
SOURCE: British Airways
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British Airways survey shows how Brits plan their holidays