Britons abroad 'shun foreign foods'

30/06/2011

By Matt Gibson

UK tourists are not dining on the local cuisine while on their travels overseas, latest research suggests.

Around 27 per cent of British holidaymakers are determined not to open up their taste buds to new experiences while abroad and only eat food they would have easy access to at home, according to a survey by travel agent sunshine.co.uk.

Meanwhile, 55 per cent actively seek out home comforts while on holiday, with more than a third of these scouring foreign countries for restaurants that serve traditionally British fare.

A quarter of these Britons look for British bars while overseas, 21 per cent try to watch UK television channels, 17 per cent shop at British stores and 12 per cent purchase UK brands.

Just 9 per cent said they had made an attempt at trying to speak some of the language of the country they last travelled to and 48 per cent said they expected the locals to speak English.

However, some Brits do try to immerse themselves in the local culture while on their holidays. Around 21 per cent said they deliberately avoid home comforts and two in three of these claimed they wanted to experience something different.