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UK holiday spend up 20% in five years

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Consumers now spend almost £700 per person on their annual family holiday, according to new research.

The average per-person spend per trip is now £694, up 20% on five years ago when the average spend was £597 . 

While the majority of people are shopping around for deals and savings, one in five will spend upwards of £1,000 per person when holidaying with their family this summer.

The time spent planning holidays has also risen from 10 to 13 hours over the same period, the study by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) found.

Decisions on destinations take the most time with more than one in ten people (11%) spending nine hours picking the perfect location.

Despite the care taken on booking, more than a third of people (32%) admit to rushing holiday admin and spending less than half an hour booking insurance and checking for Atol protection. 

A fifth (20%) admit they would sacrifice these elements if it meant getting a cheaper deal.

More than two-fifths of holidaymakers (42%) now travel with their extended family, with a quarter taking their grandparents with them.

Wi-Fi is cited higher on the holiday essentials list than a TV in the room, spa or gym.

Travel insurance and Atol protection top the list, followed by many of the usual destination requirements, including beach, transfers included, swimming pool and guaranteed sun.

Andy Cohen, head of the CAA’s Atol section, said: “The tradition of the family holiday remains strong but the shape and size of these holidays is always evolving.

“It is reassuring to us that more and more people each year recognise that protecting your holiday is an essential part of booking your trip, but there remains a significant number who are willing to put a cheap deal ahead of protecting their hard-earned cash.

“With so many options we want to encourage people to pack peace of mind when booking their family holiday by checking for Atol protection to safeguard their holiday in case the travel company collapses.”

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