Brits spend 16 billion pounds Sterling on trips they feel obliged to take

- Spending on weddings, stag and hen dos falls 35%

LONDON, July 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Brits are spending 16 billion pounds on trips they feel obliged to take, such as weddings, stag and hen dos and family celebrations, a survey(1) by discount travel website Hotwire.com® has revealed.  In the last twelve months Brits spent on average 466.80 pounds per person on obligation trips, accounting for almost a quarter (24%) of their annual travel budget(2). 

However, the survey also found that whilst people are spending significant sums on trips they feel they have to take, spending on weddings, stag and hen dos is significantly lower than in previous years.  The cost of travel and accommodation to attend weddings has fallen 40% from an average 222 pounds(3) per person in 2011 to 131 pounds per person. Men are spending 35% less on travel and accommodation for stag dos, just 78.20 pounds on average in the last year.

On average Brits took two obligation trips in the last 12 months using 4 days of annual leave to attend weddings, stag and hen dos and other family celebrations.

The cost of marking special occasions with family and friends:

• 4.5 billion pounds spent attending weddings over the last 12 months. We each spent an average of 131 pounds on travel and accommodation to be there on the big day.  A drop of 40% on last year when Brits spent an average of 222 pounds per person to see their friends and family get hitched. We took a little over a day and a half off work to celebrate.
• 2 billion pounds spent on travel and accommodation for stag and hen dos and an average of 1.63 days in annual leave taken. But Brits are spending considerably less on their final flings with their mates than in the past.  In the last 12 months, Brits spent an average of just 58.75 pounds on accommodation and travel to celebrate their friends' last days as single men and women.
• Lads spend nearly twice as much as girls celebrating their last few days of freedom.  Men spent 78.20 pounds (down 35% from 118.95 pounds in 2011) compared to women who spent a relatively conservative 36.72 pounds for their travel and accommodation expenses in the last 12 months.
• 4 billion pounds spent on travel and accommodation to visit friends and family and celebrate other occasions such as birthdays.  On average we take one day off work to share that special occasion.

"With nearly 25% of travel budgets spent on trips people feel they should take, rather than those they really want to make, more and more Brits will be looking at ways to make their travel budgets go further," said Fulvia Montresor, travel expert at Hotwire.com.  "For those people who'd like to celebrate an occasion with friends and family in style, but don't want to bankrupt their nearest and dearest, picking a destination that's in its low-season and/or being flexible on location, and booking on discount sites like Hotwire® will give them the best chance of bagging a great deal."

About Hotwire.com
Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site that helps holidaymakers book hotel rooms at significant savings you can't find on many other travel sites. Launched in the U.S. in 2000 and in the U.K. and Ireland in 2011, Hotwire's partnerships with hotels worldwide offers holidaymakers deeply discounted hotel rooms that would typically go unsold. J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognised Hotwire for ranking "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Independent Travel Web Sites, Three Years in a Row." Hotwire is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST: 2053390-40. NST: 20003-0209.

For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com/. Hotwire sites operate in 8 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no and www.hotwire.com/dk. The Hotwire Group of websites includes: www.hotwire.com, www.travel-ticker.com, www.carrentals.com.

Hotwire, Hotwire.com and the Hotwire logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

(1) Survey of 2008 people from across the UK conducted by ICM Research
(2) The Hotwire Travel Confidence Survey, conducted by Vision Critical among 2,011 randomly selected British adults who are Springboard UK panellists in January 2012, found average annual travel budgets to be 1920 pounds.
(3) Halifax survey conducted by ICM April 2011 http://www.lloydsbankinggroup.com/media/pdfs/halifax/2011/270411AttendingWedding.pdf

Media contact
Vojtech Horna
Atomic PR for Hotwire.com
+44 207 025 7551
hotwireuk@atomicpr.com