Britons 'not giving up' holidays

More than a third of Britons will still take their annual summer holiday abroad no matter how hard the credit crunch bites, a BBC survey suggests.

The poll of 1,007 people showed those from Scotland were the least likely to sacrifice their break in the sun.

More than 40% of those questioned also said the strong euro would affect their choice of holiday destination.

British tour operators say bookings are up this year, with the biggest growth areas outside the eurozone.

The ICM poll for the BBC showed people in the Midlands were most likely to forgo their holiday abroad, while those aged 18-24 were least willing to give up their annual summer break.

In addition, 47% admitted the high euro would not affect their choice of holiday destination.

Britain's biggest largest travel group TUI said bookings rose by 8%, with Turkey, Egypt and Bulgaria showing significant increases.

That was echoed by online travel company Expedia, which said bookings were up 60% in Turkey, Bulgaria and Egypt and 23% abroad overall.

Tour operator Thomas Cook says trading remains strong for summer 2008 with bookings up 14% for the first quarter of the year, while travel operators' association, Abta, said all their clients are experiencing modest increases in business.

Spain is still the most popular destination for UK tourists, according to Abta.

The Spanish Tourist Board says the number of arrivals from the UK increased by 3% for the January-May period but the holidaymakers are spending less.

In 2004, Britons spent an average of 89 euros (£70) per head per day, compared to an expected 82 euros (£65) in 2008.