Cultural connoisseur or a luxury lounger?
Wednesday, 16 Mar 2005 11:42
The Sphinx at Giza, Cairo: Among the destinations for cultural connoisseurs
Cultural connoisseurs choose Cairo, Florence and St Petersburg culture,
while luxury loungers prefer the South of France, Dubai or Sorrento.
These are the findings of a new survey of holiday habits, which identified five kinds of British traveller.
A third of British travellers see themselves as cultural connoisseurs - travellers who want to get away from other tourists to experience the culture of a destination - but with an itinerary and guide book to hand, according to Norwich Union.
A fifth are luxury loungers, who prefer to be pampered in the lap of luxury at high quality destinations in the style of Joan Collins, Michael Winner and the Zeta-Douglas's.
Other Brits see themselves as free-spirits, traditionalists, or trend trekkers.
Traditionalists - nearly a third of Brits - prefer to travel somewhere they have been before and where English is widely spoken; typically the Costa del Sol or the Canaries.
Iceland and Croatia are the hot destinations for trend trekkers - one in ten Brits - who like to holiday at places in fashion or before they become popular with the crowds.
Free spirits meanwhile - seven per cent of Brits - like to head off the beaten track to places not typically considered tourist destinations such as South America and Cambodia.
Norwich Union's Dawn McMullan says the growing popularity of alternative destinations is no surprise: "Last minute deals on flights, hotels on the internet and greater choice have heralded a new generation of jet set travellers as it becomes increasingly affordable to visit places we haven't been to before."