Beach breaks are most popular holiday type, says survey

Beach and seaside holidays accounted for 34% of all trips taken by more than 3,500 Which? members (GETTY IMAGES)

Beach breaks are still the most popular type of holiday but tourists are less satisfied with them than with some other types of trip, according to a Which? magazine survey.

Beach and seaside holidays accounted for 34% of all trips taken by more than 3,500 Which? members who booked a break in the last two years.

The average customer satisfaction score with these bucket-and-spade breaks was 12% lower than for some types of holidays, including escorted tours.

All told, customer satisfaction with the holiday companies with whom they travelled in the last two years was higher than in most Which? surveys.

In a 26-company table based on satisfaction levels, all the first 10 holiday companies - headed by Trailfinders - achieved scores of at least 85%.

Trailfinders scored 97%, followed by HF Holidays and InnTravel (both 94%).

Some of the major holiday companies were towards the bottom of the satisfaction table, with First Choice scoring 71%, Thomson 70%, Virgin Holidays 69% and Thomas Cook 60%.

At the foot of the table was Newmarket Holidays with a score of 57%.

Which? said holidaymakers were impressed with Trailfinders' "tailored itineraries, outstanding advice and well-trained staff".

The magazine went on: "Holiday companies, on average, get a higher customer score than those in most areas we survey.

"We found the high performers had lots of loyal customers. Nearly half of all members (46%) have travelled with the same holiday company more than once."

Which? continued: "Our featured companies are made up of different types of provider, from escorted tours to activity holidays, so you should find one that suits your requirements.

"However, with a 40-point gap between best and worst, some firms clearly need to raise their game - you could fly an Airbus A380 between Trailfinders at the top of the table and Newmarket Holidays at the bottom."

PA