47% Of Tourists ‘begrudge Buying Souvenirs’ For Loved Ones

Sept. 30, 2010 - PRLog -- In a recent poll by one of the UK’s leading online independent travel agents, it was revealed that 47% of British holidaymakers ‘begrudge’ buying souvenirs for their loved ones when going on holiday abroad.

The poll of 1,192 holidaymakers from the UK was carried out by www.sunshine.co.uk, in order to find out more about people’s attitudes towards the tradition of purchasing souvenirs for friends and family whilst on holiday.

Whilst the study found that nearly half of those who took part begrudged paying for them; more than a third, 34%, of those who had received a souvenir in the past said they had found them to be ‘tacky’.

The respondents who claimed to begrudge buying souvenirs for friends and family were further questioned by http://www.sunshine.co.uk and asked why this was the case. 54% said they’d rather save the money spent on souvenirs to spend on themselves on holiday, whilst 11% claimed to know that the person they were buying for wouldn’t have much use for the gift.

41% of holidaymakers said they felt ‘obliged’ to purchase souvenirs for friends and family, whilst 9% said they even felt it was necessary to take gifts back to their place of work for their colleagues.

Just over 1 in 10, 13%, of respondents claimed to have previously left purchasing souvenirs until the last day of their holiday, whilst 7% admitted to having ‘forgotten’ to buy souvenirs in the past.

21% of the people who took part in the poll had previously purchased gifts to take home for friends and family in the duty-free stores at the airport, whilst a further 14% said they thought souvenirs were a ‘waste of money’.

Chris Brown, co-founder of http://www.sunshine.co.uk, commented on the findings;

“I think there are certain things that are a given on holidays abroad, like sunbathing, swimming in the sea and buying souvenirs for friends and family. Some people actually enjoy purchasing gifts to take home for people, but I think the study has shown that plenty of people don’t.

“A lot of holidaymakers evidently feel like it’s their duty to bring something back for people, but the cost of souvenirs can mount up; especially if there are a lot of people to buy for.”

He concluded, “Whilst many leave purchasing souvenirs until the last day of the holiday, I think it’s a good idea to get it out of the way in the first couple of days. That way, you can put it to the back of your mind and use the rest of your cash to enjoy your time away.”

LINK http://www.sunshine.co.uk

ENDS

For more information, or to arrange interviews with Chris Brown, please contact Shannon Haigh of 10 Yetis PR Agency on 01452 348211 or email shannon@10yetis.co.uk  
Editors Notes

sunshine.co.uk is the UK's leading online independent travel agent and was founded by Chris Brown and Chris Clarkson, the same people behind Holiday Watchdog which was bought by TripAdvisor in February 2008 for an undisclosed amount of money. Sunshine.co.uk offers low cost holidays and budget flights to destinations all over the world as well as great deals and discounted hotels.

TravelMole recently voted sunshine.co.uk as the best Travel Agency in the 2010 web awards.