Beach

Luxury travel operator Kuoni came up with its latest report that deals with the opinions of British public when it comes to holidays. Based on its results, more than fifty percent of the respondents said that life changing decisions have been made during holidays – which in turn make significant changes in their everyday living.

Kuoni UK Managing Director Joanna Edmunds said they came up with the report in a bid to understand the emotions of holidaymakers and determine its role in making life-changing decisions.

The 24-page long report provides informative results on what people do during the holidays. In one part of the report, about 36 percent of the respondents said that their love lives have significantly changed (positively and negatively) during these days.

Nearly 75 percent of the respondents said that a romantic holiday getaway can make or break their relationships.

Travel company Tui Travel said that there’s a sudden influx of demand for holiday destinations. Customers are flocking to go to scenic holiday destinations within the United Kingdom and the Nordic region.

Tui Travel, like other leading agencies, slashed its number of holiday offerings in a bid to support profit margins. The collapse of smaller competitors led the company to maintain its prices and eventually maintain profits.

Tui Travel chief executive Peter Long said that the group’s customer researcher revealed that positive outlook in personal finances and job markets has led to the increase of demand for holiday vacations. He revealed that late winter and summer bookings have increased for the past few weeks.

The company’s sales during the last quarter of 2009 were at 2.5 billion pounds, which is still down eight percent the year before. The operating loss was set at 107 billion pounds.

Abu Dhabi will be hosting the UAE Jet Ski 2010 Championship and more than fifty pilots from different countries are expected to compete in the first round of competitions which will take place today. The venue of the competition is at the Abu Dhabi Corniche and this was made possible by the Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, the organizers of the event.

There are six categories of the race namely: Runabout Stock up to 1600cc for 12 laps, Pro Ski up to 900 cc for 12 laps, Junior Ski up to 800 cc for 10 laps, Ski Limited up 800 cc for 10 laps, Pro Runabout up to 1600 cc for 15 laps and Freestyle competitions.

The technical committee has already made the necessary inspection of the aquabikes that will be used in the competition. Committee head Nasir Al Daheri said that all of the machines are in great condition and can be used during the race.

A spokesman from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) stressed that availing of holiday insurance nowadays is considered a necessity and not just a “luxury” as it was once perceived.

Taking trips abroad is a risk and it is but logical to have at least some sort of financial protection in case something unexpected happens like accidents and falling ill while on vacation outside the country.

The spokesperson stressed that there are countries outside the Europe that will certainly not recognize the European Health Insurance card that’s why it is best to start inquiring right now on how to avail of the holiday insurance before making that travel. The internet is the easiest source for information or the travel agent in the local area may provide insight as to where to go before booking the vacation.

Research revealed that one out of ten people don’t avail of the holiday insurance in their travels. More than half said that they just forgot availing of this.

British travel site TravelBite advised travellers that before having a holiday in your home country or outside the country, they should avail themselves of holiday insurance in order to have security when something unexpected happens.

The travel site also specified countries outside the European Union which could charge higher premium when covering travel insurances. These countries are Croatia and Turkey amongst others.

This report came out after a series of survey conducted revealed that more consumers are still saving up to spend vacation despite the financial crisis. However, the vacationers are likely to spend on only one major vacation per year as opposed to previous years where they get to fly out more than once.

The travel website stressed that the current economic situation was definitely a major factor among vacationers as to where to spend their holidays. The weaker currency means that they’ll likely shell out more money but despite this predicament, the travel industry has just become competitive thanks to reasonable travel packages and holiday insurance offered to travelers.

Top destinations by British travelers include Greece and Spain. Despite the declining value of the pound against the euro, the vacationers from the country still go to the aforementioned countries.

A new study released by Thomas Cook, a travel company, revealed that destinations outside Britain are still cheaper than the latter despite the credit crunch and falling value of the pound.

The study titled “The Holiday Cost of Living” revealed the comparative prices of food and drinks that you can easily buy in sixteen popular holiday destinations. Based on the data, a beer purchased in a UK bar is twice as expensive as the others. The same can be said about purchasing a coffee in a restaurant or having a three course meal.

According to Pete Constanti, Thomas Cook CEO, the financial slowdown gives everyone an opportunity to avail of great deals for holidays, considering that the prices have been slashed down. He added that if travelers are on a budget, then it’s best to look for deals that all-inclusive (food, accommodation, drinks and others).

Within Europe, destinations that provide the best deals are Cyprus and Spain.

Constanti suggested that if budget doesn’t fit the desired number of days stay in a tourist destination, then don’t hesitate to shorten it. They are deals that are good for 10 to 11 days instead of 14. It always pays to ask for a rep in the resort and find out the latest discounts and deals available within that time period.