Brits predicted to spend £73bn on holidays abroad by 2030
Brits will take a total of 64,367,550 holidays by 2030, with spending on track to rise to £73.6bn ($95.7bn), experts have predicted.
Research by travel agents eShores found there has been an increase of about 1.4% in the number of foreign holidays taken by Brits since 2000. Meanwhile, spending increased 87% from £24.3bn at the turn of the century to £45.4bn in 2018.
With new routes and different airlines taking hold, 2018 saw 114 million more passengers pass through our airports than in 2000.
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The study found that this was partly driven by a change in habits when booking holidays – the days of Teletext and Ceefax are now long gone, replaced with online travel agents and direct booking – and natural disasters and world events that affected the industry.
It also found that social media has had a “huge influence” on way Brits approach travel and booking holidays.
Instagram has flourished since it was launched in 2010, enabling people to share stories and images of their travels. In the 10 years since the launch of Instagram, there was a 2.9% increase in foreign holidays for Brits, with 29% more taken in 2019 than 2010.
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The Norwegian rock formation of Trolltunga had less than 1,000 visitors in 2010. By 2019 it had been tagged in over 100,000 Instagram pictures.
Using the average increase between 2010 and 2019, they were also able to plot the trend for the next 10 years. This predicted a 37% rise in foreign holidays.
Gavin Lapidus, co-founder of eShores, said: “It might only seem like five minutes since we welcomed in the millennium, but so much has changed in that time.
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“It’s strange to think that in 2000 we had no broadband, no Facebook or Instagram and many holidays were simple one destination package deals. The technological and social advances in the last 20 years have truly helped to shape our society and the travel industry.
“Using the average increase in the number of foreign holidays taken by the British public in the last 10 years, we’ve been able to predict a further rise over the next decade. If things continue in the same way, especially with the influence of social media over people’s decision making, we’re likely to see a great decade for travel.”
