More than 80% of Irish holiday makers will avoid travelling to places they perceive to be at risk from terrorist attacks. 94% cited France as the country most at risk from terrorism, with Turkey and Tunisia also ranking highly at 91% and 87% respectively. Mexico (72%), South Africa (68%) and Russia (46%) were perceived to be the most risky in relation to crime, according to a new survey by 123.ie.
The 123.ie Holiday Survey was carried out among 771 adults in Ireland and covered a range of issues including popular foreign and Irish destinations, risk, travel insurance, favourite authors and must-have items for travel.
“People’s views are obviously influenced by recent attacks in Turkey and last year’s attacks in Paris and Sousse and this has been reflected in their responses, which is totally understandable,” said Padraig O’Neill, Head of Marketing, 123.ie. “Thankfully, the research also indicates that this hasn’t stopped people from travelling abroad and almost three quarters (72%) are planning a foreign holiday this year.”
When asked about the issue of health, India was cited by 61% as the country that poses the greatest health risk, followed closely by Brazil. Russia and Greece’s political regime / instability were said to pose a risk to travel by 44% and 42% of respondents respectively.
“We anticipated that Brazil might feature on the list, given the recent outbreak of the Zika Virus and the ensuing publicity surrounding golfers including Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and their decision not to take part in the Rio Olympics. Despite the fact that pregnant women is the group most at risk from the Zika Virus, the global publicity may have contributed to heightened concerns that has been borne out in the research,” added Padraig.
Spain Tops Foreign Charts
Spain is the most popular destination for Irish holiday-makers (41%), which will come as no surprise with more than one million of us flocking to Spain every year. With the Euro performing particularly well against Sterling since the Brexit vote, the 36% of people heading to the UK from Ireland should feel the benefit in their pockets. 14% of those taking a foreign holiday have selected a transatlantic trip to the USA and 15% have chosen Portugal for their break.
“14% of people are also planning a trip to France, but that doesn’t include the tens of thousands of Irish fans who were there for Euro 2016, the timing of which coincided with the research.”
Galway City and Killarney Most Popular
When asked about the type of holiday they would most like to take, 17% of people plumped for a staycation with Galway city (31%) and Killarney (29%) chosen as the favourite home destinations. Dingle was selected as a favourite Irish holiday spot by 24% of respondents, followed by West Cork at 23%.
Killarney and Galway City featured in the top two destinations for the under 35s and those aged 35-54, with people over the age of 55 opting for Westport as their number one destination.
Popular holiday types also included a world cruise (38%), which appealed to all age groups, with the same percentage selecting a USA road tip. Disneyland was chosen by 24% and 11% would enjoy a spot of backpacking.
All About the Tea
Tea featured prominently in the survey, with 57% of holiday-makers from Ireland taking their preferred brand of tea with them on a foreign trip. The first thing 14% of people do when they arrive at their destination is make a cup of tea and when it comes to what people miss most when they go on holiday, almost one in 10 misses a good cup of tea.
More than one third of people miss their own bed when they go away, 10% miss Irish food but, somewhat hearteningly, one quarter admitted to missing nothing at all about home when on holiday.
Lost Baggage and Missed Flights
Four out of every five people have bought or will buy travel insurance for their holiday, with the majority, 95%, ranking it important or very important in providing medical or injury cover. 91% consider it important to cover loss or theft of money and 89% to cover loss of passport. Of less importance to holiday-makers from Ireland is missing a flight and delays, despite the survey showing that 28% had missed a flight or connection, with 5% turned up for a flight on the wrong day. 18% of respondents reported being robbed while on holiday.
“We know that people place a high value on their travel insurance. It offers great peace of mind and it is one of those things that you can purchase and not think about again, as you never need it, until you need it,” said Padraig.
When it came to travel insurance, the gulf between age groups was quite marked, with 92% of those aged 55+ taking out a policy compared to 77% of under 35s.
Grisham and Keyes Most Popular
Presented with a shortlist of popular authors, John Grisham (23%) and Marian Keyes (18%) proved the most popular holiday reads. Irish authors were particularly prevalent, with Maeve Binchy and Cecilia Ahern books selected by 14% and 12% of the population, respectively.
The 123.ie Holiday Survey was carried out online in June 2016 among 771 adults in Ireland.
