Britain is divided into a nation of holiday ‘splashers’ – those who spend money on new outfits and beauty must-haves in preparation for looking great on the beach – and ‘re-hashers’ – those who don’t spend anything at all on new clothes or treatments ahead of their annual vacation – reveals research released today (Monday 6 November) at World Travel Market London – the leading global event for the travel industry.
The World Travel Market London 2017 Industry Report reveals two-thirds of UK holidaymakers are in the ‘go out and spend’ category, with some forking out £300 or more on getting ‘beach ready’. The remaining 33% subscribe to the ‘make do and mend’ mindset of previous generations, who managed with what they had.
Of the splashers, 33% spend up to £100; 16% spend in the region of £100-£199 and 6% spend somewhere between £200-£299.
A further 4% spend £300 or more, while 8% are not sure how much they spend.
Over half of spenders splash out on clothes and shoes, with 86% saying they buy one or more new outfits and 54% buying new footwear. Almost half (46%) buy a new bikini or swimwear.
Beach-ready beauty treatments are also popular among pre-holiday cash splashers, with 24% spending money on a manicure/pedicure and 24% paying for a spray tan.
Seven percent paid to have their teeth whitened before going on their last holiday, while 4% said they paid for cosmetic surgery to ensure they look their best on the beach.
WTM London’s Paul Nelson, said: “Pre-holiday preparation is a huge business and most of us want to look our best on the beach, particularly as we post so many selfies on social media these days.
“Despite the fact two thirds of UK holidays ‘go out and spend’, one in three have a ‘make do and mend’ attitude to holidays and don’t feel the need to fork out for new clothes, shoes, beauty treatments or cosmetic surgery.
“It’d be interesting to see whether other holidaymakers would be able to spot the ‘splasher’ from the ‘re-hasher’ on the beach.”
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About World Travel Market
World Travel Market (WTM) portfolio comprises five leading B2B events across four continents generating more than $7bn of industry deals. The five events are;
WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 51,500 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL – London every November generating around £2.8 billion of travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/. Next event: 6-8 Nov 2017 – London.
International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) now in its 20th edition, is the meeting place for the global B2B golf travel community. More than 600 golf tourism suppliers join 350 pre-qualified buyers and 100 international press for four days of unmissable pre-scheduled appointments, exclusive networking opportunities and invaluable industry and trend updates. Taking place in a different destination every year, IGTM brings together 1,400 golf tourism professionals from over 65 countries. http://igtm.wtm.com/. Next event: 11-14 Dec 2017 – Cannes.
World Travel Market Latin America now in its fifth edition attracts about 9,000 unique senior executives. The event generates US$ 370 million of new business. Taking place in Sao Paulo Brazil, this show attracts a global audience to meet and shape the direction of the travel industry. More than 7,000 unique visitors attend the event to network, negotiate and discover the latest industry news. http://latinamerica.wtm.com/. Next event: 3-5 April 2018 – Sao Paulo.
World Travel Market Africa launched in 2014 in Cape Town, South Africa. Nearly 5,000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading inbound and outbound travel and tourism market. WTM Africa delivers a proven mix of hosted buyers, media, pre-scheduled appointments, on-site networking, evening functions and invited travel trade visitors. http://africa.wtm.com/. Next event: 18-20 April 2018 – Cape Town.
About Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2017 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, agreeing deals worth US$2.5bn over the four days. The 24th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its 24-year history. www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com Next event 22-25 April 2018 – Dubai.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than 7m participants.
About Reed Travel Exhibitions
Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions.