The travel agency, which enables customers to donate a percentage of their holiday cost to charity, has published a new study outlining how consumers are “re-evaluating” spending due to the ongoing cost of living crisis.

According to Charitable Travel, only 18% of consumers consider donating to charity as “essential”, while 71% blame the rising cost of living as the reason for not donating more.

When asked about their current charitable giving, 49% said they would like to give more money to charity in general, with around 20% saying they were “forced” to reduce their donations due to their financial situation. 

The survey also found entertainment spending, such as music and TV subscriptions (15%) and morning coffee (10%) were considered as “essential”.

The most common way people gave to charity was via bucket collections (39%) or through sponsorship of friends and family (35%), while 12% of respondents said they donate their time rather than money.

Charitable Travel said the findings of its research “echo discussions” it is having with customers who are “rethinking” how and where they spend their money.

The agency has reported a rise in demand for its services, which enables holidaymakers to support their favourite charity at no extra cost – donates 5% of the cost of a customer’s trip to a charity of their choice.

Melissa Tilling, founder and chief executive, said: “The devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means charities need our support now more than ever, but the cost of living crisis has resulted in people having less and less disposable income, with many making difficult financial sacrifices. 

“We know holidays can be beneficial to our mental and physical health, especially during these tough times and the recent increase in demand that we’ve seen here at Charitable Travel reinforces this sentiment.”