Croatia holiday: staycations on the way out

Travellers are abandoning the staycation for holidays abroad, according to new statistics.

The Office of National Statistics has said that people in the UK spent around £7.5 billion abroad in the first three months of this year.

Holiday operators who have seen their profits fall during the recession may have their hopes bucked up by the new figures, which could put paid to the idea of the 'staycation'.

'Staycations' are essentially holidays taken at home to save money.

Overall, there were 45 million visits to Europe made by UK residents in the twelve months leading up to March this year.

However, Croatia bucked the trend for falling travel even during the recession – showing that visitors know a good deal when they see one.

The Croatian statistics office reported around 1.43 million visitors in the peak season month of June last year, at the height of the recession.