Last year’s Monarch failure and Ryanair’s flight cancellations lie behind growing consumer concerns about whether they will get refunds if their travel firm fails, research indicates.
The finding comes from the latest Holiday Trends report from consultancy BDRC which surveyed 1,000 people.
It found fewer than half of Britons feel confident that they would get a refund if their holiday provider went out of business.
BDRC said Monarch’s collapse and Ryanair’s mass flight cancellation last year after a pilot rostering error has heightened British holidaymakers’ uncertainties about their travel providers.
The survey also found just two in five people believe they understand the laws about refunds ‘very well’, with one in five responding ‘not at all’.
A further 56% said they would pay a small fee on top of the cost of airline tickets to ensure cover.
BDRC said this suggested a need for more information and greater transparency from travel providers.
Another significant area of interest for British holidaymakers was found to be sustainable travel.
BDCR found 77% of people would like to know more about sustainable standards at their destination, whilst 80% would proactively help a destination achieve sustainability standards on their next holiday.
In addition 45% said they would avoid the use of single-use plastic and 44% said they would limit water use.
The report also revealed a general feeling amongst holidaymakers that travel companies, local authorities and country governments all need to play a role in delivering sustainable tourism standards.
Concerns about safety proved to be less of a concern for holidaymakers this year, said BDRC.
Just 36% of respondents cited safety as a strong consideration, compared to 40% in 2017 and 42% in 2016.
Safety perceptions of Paris and Istanbul have both risen as have the number of intended holidays to France and Turkey.