Chavs change Britain's holiday habits

Boozy young Brits are turning middle class travellers away from destinations such as Australia, India and Thailand, new research shows.

Fashion conscious youngsters aged between 18 and 30 and likely to live at home have begun to turn their backs on a drunken fortnight in Benidorm in exchange for a life-changing trip to the other side of the world.

In turn they are forcing the middle classes to find new less-travelled destinations in an effort to avoid these so-called 'chavellers', according to a report by research firm Vegas.

"The prospect of going somewhere the chavs favour is too awful to contemplate for the middle classes," said Julian Rolfe project manager at Vegas.

"For the middle classes going somewhere like Chile, Libya or Mozambique has real bragging appeal and sets them apart from the crowd."

The research shows that middle-class youngsters are missing out on gap years because of increased competition for graduate jobs, fears over university fees and student debts.

Instead, the generation of British youngsters now heading off for an extended break in the sun tends to be those who feel more able to quit their jobs and pick up from where they left off after they return home.

"Chavs tend to live at home with parents," said Ms Rolfe. "It’s convenient, they’ve greater freedoms than ever before and more disposable income to spend on travel.

"The internet, and the growth of travel magazines, means they have more information available to them. And of course, they have fewer responsibilities and don’t fear for their jobs. It all adds up to a willingness to take extended trips."

As a result, middle-class holidaymakers are seeking out new destinations to avoid the yobs, leading to a rise in tailor-made holidays, city breaks and adventure tourism.

"It's all about experience now," she added, "not where you've gone but what you've seen and done."