Over 40% Plan Increased Holiday Spend in 2019

In a sign of ongoing economic growth, over 40% of Irish people plan on increased their travel spend for their main holiday this year, a recent survey has found.

In response to an AA Travel Insurance survey of over 3,000 Irish people, 18.13% of those surveyed stated that when considering both the cost of the holiday and spending money while abroad they were very likely to spend more on their main holiday this year than they did 12 months ago. Meanwhile, a further 22.28% indicated that they were somewhat more likely to increase their holiday spend in 2019.

According to the survey, those aged over 65 are the most likely to spend more on their holidays this year. Of this age bracket, 17.65% indicated their holiday spend was very likely to increase, with a further 25% stating this was somewhat likely.

“During the worst years of the economic downturn, many of us were forced to cut back a little when it came to our holiday plans. However, as the economy continues to improve many of us find ourselves a little more able to splurge when it comes to the big summer getaway with our family,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs stated. “Interestingly, it’s not just your typical family age bracket that look like they’ll be spending more on their 2019 travels, as across all ages from young to old many of us are hoping to spoil ourselves that little bit more.”

Outside of our main holiday plans, the survey also found that almost a third of Irish people plan on taking an additional city break at some point in 2019.

32.76% of those surveyed stated they were very likely go on a city break with friends or family at a point of the year outside of their main summer holiday. Meanwhile, a further 34.88% indicated that they are somewhat likely to squeeze in an additional city break this year.

“While most of us will think of getting travel insurance for our main summer holiday as we’re spending a larger chunk of money on it, things can and do go wrong even on shorter breaks so it’s important to have cover in place any time you travel abroad,” Faughnan added. “The good news for regular jet-setters is that, if you opt for an annual travel insurance policy as opposed to purchasing individual cover for each holiday, then the more you travel the better value your insurance will be.”