If you were asked to stick in a pin in a map where you had been on holiday this year, how confident would you be that you could find the right place? If you’re anything like the average Brit, you’d probably end up selecting Greece or France, regardless of where you actually went.
It has been revealed that one in three
British holidaymakers don’t know where the countries they’ve visited are
located on the map. Some destinations were slightly trickier than others, but
many couldn’t even pinpoint France and Spain.
It seems that Cyprus is the most elusive destination,
with a staggering 53 per cent of those that travelled there this summer unable
to find it on a map. It seems that many didn’t even know it was an island –
most believed it to be part of mainland Greece.
However, it’s not just Cyprus that people
weren’t sure about, some common holiday destinations for Brits proved just as
difficult.
Around one in ten didn’t know where France
was, while a quarter couldn’t point out Spain – the favourite destination of
Brits for many years now.
You might forgive some for not knowing
certain European destinations, but a few obviously weren’t paying attention in
geography as almost 500 out of the 2,000 surveyed could not even locate
Ireland.
Ever travelled to Turkey? Around half of
those that had been didn’t know where it was, with a surprising number of
people thinking it was Ukraine, which is 1,200 miles away.
Holidays to Portugal
are becoming increasingly popular with travellers, but it’s a good job you
don’t have to find your own way there, as 31 per cent thought it was France!
The Netherlands was another one that threw
people off, with over a third being completely stumped and almost a quarter
unsure about Germany too. Italy is a fairly easy one to identify, thanks to its
recognisable boot-shape – but 13 per cent still stuck their pins in Belarus (image by http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/).
It doesn’t seem to be just the locations of
countries that Brits struggle with; around 20 per cent couldn’t name the
capital of their holiday destination and 27 per cent aren’t capable of naming a
neighbouring country.
Well, at least the survey managed to open a
few eyes, with 70 per cent saying they should know more about their holiday
destinations. Rather than concentrating on location of the country,
holidaymakers had other priorities.
When asked to name the most important thing
when choosing a holiday, the results were its temperature (65 per cent), local
attractions (61 per cent) and accommodation (52 per cent).
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a geography
geek to get some great deals on your holidays. Expedia has loads of Portuguese
holiday bargains and deals to other top destinations and as you don’t need to
rely on your sense of direction, so you can be sure of landing there safely!
Related post: 10 Things to Consider When Visiting Europe
Related post: 10 Things to Consider When Visiting Europe
header image by www.flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/
I think your point proves that the holiday companies are very good at branding where to be on holiday. As well as poor geographical knowledge and a lack of willingness of holidaymakers to perform proper research.
ReplyDelete