MORE than a quarter of Britons will forgo a foreign holiday this year, which is slightly more than last year, according to a recent survey.

Of more than 5,000 questioned online, 26% said they’d decided not to travel this year, an increase of two percentage points over last year.

The survey, carried out by First Rate Exchange Services in association with the Institute of Travel & Tourism, University of Wolverhampton and YouGov, confirms a poll by TravelMole which showed that just over 54% of agents believe next week’s General Election is having a dampening effect on sales.

However, almost half of the 56% of consumers who have decided to travel this year have already booked their first trip and 28% have booked a second holiday, according to the survey.

Three-quarters of those who will take a holiday intend to spend the same or more than they did on their previous trip, while over four-in-five will take holidays of the same length or longer than before.

The latest report also reveals that independent holiday bookings are level pegging with packages. 

Two-in-five holidaymakers now take the independent route compared, up three percentage points since last autumn. Meanwhile, demand for package holidays has fallen from 42% to 40%.

In spite of the rising strength of the pound against the euro, fewer people are planning to travel to the eurozone this year, although it will still account for almost two-thirds of first holidays booked.