More than a quarter of UK families set to miss out on summer holiday amid cost of living crisis
More than a quarter of UK families face a holiday-free summer this year, with rising costs cited as the primary hurdle, a new survey reveals.
The high cost of living and rising travel costs were overwhelmingly the most common reasons for this difficult situation.
A survey of 2,000 adults with children ages 5 to 18 by accommodation rental company Airbnb found that 27 percent had not booked a summer vacation.
The findings also reveal intense pressure on parents; Two in five (42 percent) feel compelled to provide a summer vacation for their family despite financial constraints.
Concerns about expenses loom large even among the 71 percent who manage to book travel. A third (33 per cent) admitted to saving to cover expenses, while 38 per cent relied on financial help from extended family members.
Lisa Marcais, Airbnb’s UK managing director, warned that the survey revealed a significant “holiday gap” and that many families could not afford a much-needed holiday.
He said: “Family holidays are about so much more than just time; they’re an opportunity to reconnect, boost wellbeing, create priceless memories and live new experiences together. But for many families in the UK, rising costs mean even a short break is out of reach.”
The current financial distress follows a period of sharp inflation in 2021 and 2022, when the annual rate peaked at 11.1 percent in October 2022.
This increase was caused by factors such as rising energy and fuel prices, which were exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and high global demand after the coronavirus lockdown.
Although inflation fell to 2.8 percent last month, the cumulative effect of sustained price increases means households continue to grapple with a much higher cost of living compared to 2021.
To alleviate this challenge, Airbnb donated £300,000 to the Family Holiday Charity, enabling more than 300 low-income families to experience their first holiday together this year.
Rob Parkinson, chief executive of the Family Holiday Charity, highlighted the “many benefits” of families spending time together and described providing holidays as “incredibly important and hugely rewarding”.
But he warned that such initiatives “are not a permanent solution to the systemic problems that prevent people from accessing breaks” and stressed that “collaborating with industry and policymakers is essential if we are to catalyze the transformative change that we believe can transform the life chances of families in the UK.”
The survey was conducted by research firm Censuswide between May 12 and 27.
