Nearly a third of British leisure travellers told YouGov they had travelled less this year, with two in five (40%) poised to further scale back their travel plans next year as cost becomes the next biggest deterrent to international travel after personal reasons.
Sarika Rana, head of consumer insights at YouGov UK, said economic pressures had resulted in a more "deliberate, value-focused mindset" among consumers. "While there is still desire to explore the world, rising costs and financial uncertainty have pushed some globetrotters to rethink how, when, and why they travel," she explained.
The report revealed transport (58%) and accommodation (50%) were among the areas where consumers were feeling the sharpest cost pressures and "felt more expensive" this year.
Canada is one of the few long-haul destinations on UK travellers' radar (Credit: iStock/AscentXmedia)
The data showed British Gen Z (56%) and Millennial (54%) travellers felt most impacted by rising costs, followed by Gen X at 45% and Baby Boomers at 41%.
Unsurprisingly, higher-income Britons remain the most frequent travellers, with two-thirds (66%) travelling abroad annually, compared with only a quarter (23%) of those from lower-income groups.
Spain, meanwhile, remains the most considered destination for Britons looking to travel abroad, followed by Italy, Greece, Portugal, France and Ireland. The only long-haul destinations highlighted in the report were Canada and Japan.
