Research and Markets: Activity Holidays Market Assessment 2012 - Economic Downturn Has Had Contrasting Effects on Domestic and Foreign Markets

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- pResearch and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4dd9bd/activity_holidays) has announced the addition of the "Activity Holidays Market Assessment 2012" report to their offering.

This Key Note Market Assessment is concerned with the UK market for activity holidays both in the UK (domestic holidays) and outside the UK (holidays abroad). An activity holiday can include a myriad of activities but it must involve physical exertion. Activities can range from popular activities such as hiking and skiing to more niche activities such as diving.

Holidays such as safaris or cruises are not included in this report as they do not involve sufficient physical effort. However, a number of companies covered in this report do offer such holidays alongside more strenuous activity holidays. This report also excludes activities that are participated in during a traditional holiday break, such as walking or hiring a bicycle or boat for the day.

Activity holiday providers vary from large multi-national, multi-branded travel companies to smaller independent operators serving niche markets. In the overall holiday market the use of travel agents and tour operators has declined. However, the specialist nature of certain activity holidays means that agents and operators have been able to retain a greater share of the market. As the large tour operators such as TUI and Thomas Cook Group have sought to expand their brand portfolios, smaller operators have been acquired for their expertise in a particular region/activity. The school activity market also accounts for a significant proportion of activity holidays and there are a number of companies specialising in this particular sector.

The economic downturn has had contrasting effects on both the domestic and foreign holiday markets. The weakening of the pound and overall economic uncertainty led to an increase in domestic holidays in 2009 and this is thought to have had a positive impact on domestic activity holidays.

Companies Mentioned:

• Domestic Activity Holidays
• Holidays Abroad
• Abercrombie and Kent Ltd
• Acorn Venture Ltd
• Holidaybreak Plc
• Kingswood Learning and Leisure Group Ltd
• Neilson Active Holidays Ltd
• Ramblers Holidays Ltd
• Sts School Travel Service Ltd
• Tui Travel Plc
• Your Golf Travel Ltd

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/4dd9bd/activity_holidays