More Britons are stopping with friends and family when they travel abroad for their holidays, new tourism statistics have revealed.

It has never been easier to get away on holiday, with a number of airports such as Stansted, Luton and Gatwick offering cheap and convenient flights to some of the most attractive destinations in the world.

And the number of UK residents jetting off to locations where they are hosted by family and friends grew by 9% in the first two months of 2011, the Office for National Statistics figures show. It appears that many Britons see this as a way of enjoying the usual benefits of a holiday while saving on accommodation costs.

However, the overall number of foreign holidays taken by UK residents dropped by 4% in January to February 2011, compared with the same period in the previous year. There was also a marginal fall in foreign business trips, with the number dropping off by 1%.

The rise in visits to friends and relatives meant that the number of trips UK residents took overseas in the first two months of this year reached just under 6.6 million – about the same as the January-February 2010 period.

Spending by Britons on these foreign trips fell 3% to £3.71 billion in the first two months of this year.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

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