'Copycat' Holidaymakers
Posted by Sue Anderson, 30th Jan 2013
Our latest survey has revealed that 78% of UK holidaymakers experience the 'copycat' effect, as they visit holiday resorts abroad that their friends have previously been to and told them about.
Many people base holiday destination decisions on things such as reviews, proximity to home and the nightlife on offer within a resort; but we've found that three-quarters of you have visited somewhere abroad on holiday just because your friends have.
We carried out a poll as part of ongoing research into the holiday habits and preferences of people around the UK. 2,178 adults from Britain took part in the poll, each of whom had been on a holiday abroad in the last 5 years.
When asked, 'Have you ever been on holiday somewhere, just because your friends had been there previously?' 78% of those taking part said 'yes'. When asked what had made them do so, aside from the fact their friend had been there, 54% said it was due to the fact their friend have given a good review of the resort or accommodation.
32% said it was more a case of 'keeping up with the Joneses' and 9% said they had actually gone back to a place their friends had visited with the friends in questions.
Of those who had claimed that they'd been somewhere on holiday just because their friends had been previously, 21% said they were 'disappointed' with the recommendations of their friends. Furthermore, 45% of the total respondents admitted to making their own holidays sound better than they actually were when talking about them to friends and family.
When asked why they did this, 27% said they were aiming to make those listening 'jealous', whilst 22% admitted it was to make them sound like they had more money than they actually did.
If your friend has just come back from a lovely sunny holiday and you've been stuck at home with the British weather, then their stories will undoubtedly make you a bit jealous!
Whilst you never want to be outdone by your friends, there's always the possibility that they could be talking up their holiday to make you green with envy, so you might not enjoy yourself as much as they did. If their choice of destination looks like somewhere you would like to travel, then there's no harm in going to the same place. However, we wouldn't recommend booking a holiday purely because you want to be seen keeping up with the Joneses!
Many people base holiday destination decisions on things such as reviews, proximity to home and the nightlife on offer within a resort; but we've found that three-quarters of you have visited somewhere abroad on holiday just because your friends have.
We carried out a poll as part of ongoing research into the holiday habits and preferences of people around the UK. 2,178 adults from Britain took part in the poll, each of whom had been on a holiday abroad in the last 5 years.
78% said they had been on holiday somewhere just because their friends had recommended it
When asked, 'Have you ever been on holiday somewhere, just because your friends had been there previously?' 78% of those taking part said 'yes'. When asked what had made them do so, aside from the fact their friend had been there, 54% said it was due to the fact their friend have given a good review of the resort or accommodation.
A third said it was more of a case of 'keeping up with the Joneses'
32% said it was more a case of 'keeping up with the Joneses' and 9% said they had actually gone back to a place their friends had visited with the friends in questions.
A fifth said they were disappointed with their friend's recommendations
Of those who had claimed that they'd been somewhere on holiday just because their friends had been previously, 21% said they were 'disappointed' with the recommendations of their friends. Furthermore, 45% of the total respondents admitted to making their own holidays sound better than they actually were when talking about them to friends and family.
When asked why they did this, 27% said they were aiming to make those listening 'jealous', whilst 22% admitted it was to make them sound like they had more money than they actually did.
If your friend has just come back from a lovely sunny holiday and you've been stuck at home with the British weather, then their stories will undoubtedly make you a bit jealous!
Whilst you never want to be outdone by your friends, there's always the possibility that they could be talking up their holiday to make you green with envy, so you might not enjoy yourself as much as they did. If their choice of destination looks like somewhere you would like to travel, then there's no harm in going to the same place. However, we wouldn't recommend booking a holiday purely because you want to be seen keeping up with the Joneses!
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