Brits 'still planning holidays'

People planning holidays or stag parties over the next 12 months could look to take short breaks by coach to help beat the credit crunch.

According to the Coach Tourism Council (CTC), there has been a 20 per cent surge in the number of bookings in the first few months of 2009 as UK tourists seek to tighten their belts.

CTC chairman Sean Taggart said this was a sign that Brits are determined not to let the economic crisis put paid to their holiday plans.

"Despite thousands being hit hard by the credit crunch, high unemployment and awful returns on savings, it's easy to forget that there are millions of people who still intend to take a holiday this year," he commented.

Mr Taggart added that coach trips could help holidaymakers to save on costs and revealed that the number of people travelling to Europe via this mode of transport has also increased.

This comes after the BBC reported that more stag parties are now looking to stay closer to home, with traditional eastern European locations giving way to British hotspots such as Newcastle and Edinburgh.