UK Residents Are Taking Fewer Trips

The economic recession in the UK was far more devastating than most experts anticipated. Important sectors of the economy continue to report record losses. In this article we are going to discuss the travel industry, which was decimated by the recession.

According to the latest numbers, airports in the UK handled 7.4% fewer passengers in 2009 than in 2008. It was the largest annual decline in 65 years. It is also the first time the numbers have fallen in consecutive years. Most of the declines have been attributed to a precipitous drop in holiday trips. Details here are a bit sketchy, but it seems as if people are staying home for their holidays.

In fact, they are staying home for most holidays and vacations. The new trend in travel is to go on holiday in the UK. It has become such a popular pastime that travel writers have created a new word to describe it. They call them staycations.

Are staycations a good thing or a bad thing for the economy? Well, that's hard to say. While they do help out local businesses, they may bankrupt the airline industry, which is hanging on by the proverbial thread after two consecutive years of declines.

How serious is the problem? The current numbers represent the single largest decline in passengers since the Second World War. If the trend continues, it is unlikely that the airlines will be able to stay afloat.

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