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Tesco poll shows extent of lates market
A survey by Tesco Travel Money has found that 39% of parents with children of school age have not yet booked their summer holiday.
The online poll of 2,012 British adults, undertaken by Opinium Research from July 24-28, found that 36% of these admitted that going on a summer holiday will depend on their finances or whether they can seal a good bargain.
Nearly half (47%) are delaying booking their holiday in the belief they can get a better deal, while 19% are waiting to see how the swine flu pandemic develops before booking a trip.
“In the current climate, the luxury of booking a summer holiday has not been a priority for many parents. In particular, booking in advance is not a possibility,” said a Tesco Travel Money spokesperson.
“Many people are waiting to see if their finances can stretch to a break this year and families are even going to the extremes of taking their children out of school so they can afford the holiday they need.
“This coupled with the perceived threat of swine flu, taking last minute holidays is set to be a big trend this summer.”
The survey found that 17% of parents intend to take their kids out of school during the autumn term time this year so they can get the holiday they really want and take advantage of the cheaper off-peak prices.
By Bev Fearis
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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