Kuoni Holidays are one of the most respected long haul tour operators. They sell quality holidays to many destinations around the world. Kuoni have just released a report about why people from different countries go on holiday. Here is what Kuoni have discovered.
French holidaymakers seek budget food, Italians have the most sex with strangers, the Spanish splash their cash, Indian women eat fast food, the Swiss loathe topless sunbathing and sustainability and eco-tourism are most important to Swedes. These are just some of the stark cross-cultural behavioural differences highlighted between 12 disparate markets when on holiday.
The report unlocks sizzling facts about holidaymakers’ love lives while away from home, about the detailed preparation before a holiday, how eating habits change and dress sense relaxes, how some try out different personas and overall what the impact of a holiday is once home. It reinforces how a break from everyday life can broaden horizons and change behaviour.
“Many respondents like to be someone different on holiday,” observes British psychotherapist and writer Christine Webber. “It’s as if getting away allows people to experiment with a different persona and to ‘try it on for size’.”
What holidaymakers eat on holiday points up other national differences. “The price for my culinary welfare during my holiday is of no importance to me,” says René Schudel, chef, restaurateur and host of the Swiss TV show, Funky Kitchen Club. While Norwegians and Swedes tend to agree with him, French and Italians watch their pennies when it comes to eating out, reveals Kuoni’s Global Holiday Report 2011.
Does good dress sense disappear out the hotel window when on holiday? Swiss and German economist, philosopher and writer Philipp Tingler believes so. “Wearing too few clothes, the wrong perception of casual and excessive assimilation are the three most common mistakes in choosing a holiday wardrobe,” he says. The report highlights that Indian holidaymakers dress more provocatively (25%), the French dress down (55%) and Brits wear less (15%) when “abroad” – and Italians are voted as top “fashionistas” (33%).
Holidaymakers aged 25-65 were asked about what they eat and drink, what they wear, how they prepare, what they enjoy and whom they make friends with. The results point up interesting differences between nationalities and surprising facts about what a holiday can do for individuals and couples, men and women or different age groups.
Having been in the business for over 100 years, Kuoni tries to get under the skin of the typical holidaymaker, and taps into these trends on an annual basis. Such surveys are part of the company’s philosophy of getting closer to its customers as well as understanding the psychology and behaviour of travellers before, during and after the holiday.
To enquire about a Kuoni holiday please call us on 0800 433 2300.
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