An ice cream costing more than £1.86, a family meal that costs in excess of £70 and a hotel costing anything more than £90 a night is “too expensive”, a new study has revealed. Researchers polled 2,000 Brits to find out much they are willing to pay for various holiday purchases, and exactly how much is “too much” when persuading holidaymakers to part with their hard-earned cash.
It revealed that families draw the line at buckets and spades that cost more than £3.56, and the bill for a family theme-park ticket has to come in at less than £62.40.
It also emerged that almost three in ten adults base their decision to buy something purely on the cost, regardless of whether or not it is the best-value option.
And 86 per cent consider the cost when choosing to go on holiday, with a quarter even saying it’s the most important factor in deciding when and where to go.
The study was commissioned by Cut Tourism VAT to launch a campaign to lower tourism VAT in the UK.
Graham Wason, Chairman of the Cut Tourism VAT campaign said: “Everyone has a limit on how much they are willing to spend, even on having fun, and it’s interesting to compare for various holiday items.
“Holidays are so important to most of us and cost is usually a massive part in deciding when and where to go.
“But it doesn’t just stop with the holiday itself, as you also need to consider the cost of everything else like meals and day trips right down to the smaller things like ice creams and sun cream.
“Everyone is feeling the pinch at the moment so every penny counts. And the fact that VAT for a holiday accommodation in the UK is almost three times the rate in France or Germany doesn’t help.”
The study revealed that Brits wouldn’t hand over anything more than £41.82 for a family trip to the cinema or bowling alley, while a visit to the swimming pool would be forgotten about unless it cost under £14.45.
An average of £69.50 is the most people are prepared to pay for a family of four to eat out in a restaurant, with a bottle of wine over £7.58 considered too expensive.
Sun cream costing more than £5.69 is considered expensive, while the most people would spend on a souvenir for a friend or relative is £6.60.
A bill for one night’s stay in a hotel room should also come in under £88.64.
An optimistic 16 per cent reckon you tend to get more for your money if you go abroad than you do in this country.
Eight in ten Brits even admitted they would be more likely to holiday in the UK if hotels, attractions and holidays parks in this country were cheaper. And more than two-thirds of respondents thought it unfair that UK families pay more than twice as much VAT as Germany and France for a domestic holiday.
Spokesman Graham Wason, Chairman of Cut Tourism VAT added: “Tourism VAT levels are the highest in Europe right now which means it’s more expensive to holiday in the UK than abroad.
“The current high tourism VAT rate is making it hard for us to compete with resorts abroad. As a result Britain’s domestic holidaymakers get a worse deal and the UK tourism industry is suffers as a result.”
Maximum amount we would be prepared to spend:
Ice-cream/lolly £1.86
Sun cream £5.69
Family meal (food and drinks) £69.50
Bottle of wine £7.58
Hotel room for one night £88.64
Bucket and spade £3.56
Family day out (to zoo etc) £62.40
Family bowling or cinema trip £41.82
Family trip to a swimming pool £14.45
Souvenir for a friend/relative £6.60
(Featured image: m.mate)
