By Steven Birch
Budgeting Britons are turning to friends and family to host them on holidays abroad, according to tourism figures.
The Office for National Statistics revealed that the number of British residents making overseas trips to visit close friends or relatives increased by 9 per cent during the first two months of the year.
During the current financial uncertainty it might not be surprising that tourists are looking to save cash wherever possible. After booking their flights and travel insurance, any funds they can save on accommodation will be put towards their travel money.
Meanwhile, British visits abroad for holiday purposes dropped by 4 per cent in January-February 2011 compared with the same two-month period last year. Trips overseas on business also declined by 1 per cent.
With the increase of people taking holidays to visit people, the number of trips taken by UK residents overseas reached just under 6.6 million for the first two months of the year, which is around the same as last year.
But spending on these breaks fell by 3 per cent to £3.71 billion during the first two months of this year.
The statistics also showed that overseas residents made 3.8 million visits to the UK in January-February 2011 - a 1 per cent fall on the same period last year.
While the number of foreign residents visiting for holiday purposes dipped 5 per cent in the first two months of this year, business trips rose 13%.
Overseas residents spent £1.94 billion during their trips in the UK in January-February 2011 - a 1 per cent fall on the first two months of last year.
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