Travel News

Worries about fuel prices affect the travel industry

With the rising cost of fuel, the travel industry has been much in the news in recent months. And while it has a huge effect on the cost of air travel, there are also serious repercussions for those who take to the roads for their annual holiday. For many people, it has curtailed their plans for the coming summer as they search for a less expensive option.

While some people opt for a destination closer to home, others are tempted to cut back in other ways. An increasing number of people who holiday in the UK have chosen to travel to their chosen venues by public transport. Taking a coach or train can be substantially cheaper, although it curtails their freedom somewhat by not having a car with them.

Heading out and about for the sunshine

There are still plenty of holiday-makers, however, who head for foreign climes. They simply don’t trust the British weather enough to risk it. The thought of working all year until the annual trip comes along, only to have it ruined by rain, is not a pleasant one. So, despite the hassle and the expense, they’re prepared to more or less guarantee the sunshine by visiting Greece, Spain or Italy.

Worries about the pound

However, perhaps the biggest drawback about travelling to these countries is the weakness of the pound against the increasingly strong euro. Currency exchange rates are often in the news, and in the last year or two the pound’s decline has had a dramatic effect on holiday-makers. Anything that hits the spending power of tourists is bound to make the headlines.