The Paris Olympics, Mardi Gras festival, and a Taylor Swift gig are among the top live events Brits want to head to next year, according to research. A poll of 2,000 adults found that one in five (21 percent) would love to one day attend a match at the FIFA World Cup, while 16 percent want to dance the night away at the Rio Carnival.
Experiencing the Cherry Blossom Festivals in Japan, and having a pint of stout at a St Patrick’s Day celebration, also ranked highly in the top 30.
It emerged 27 percent have specifically travelled abroad to attend a live event in the past, and 21 percent are hoping to travel for an event in the next year.
Thanim Islam, head of FX analysis at Equals Money, which commissioned the research, said: “These events that so many are travelling to are not just individual holidays – they are engines of economic transformation.
“Hosting major events, with worldwide appeal, inspires travellers to plan their next adventure, and invigorates local economies – whether it’s a one-off concert, or an annual occurrence.
“These events can stimulate growth by creating jobs, boosting tourism, and nurturing local businesses.
“The economic impact can even cause local currencies to increase in value. This is a boost for locals, but can make exchange rates for travellers unpredictable.”
The research also revealed 32 percent admit they don’t consider local exchange rates when they travel – and, as a result, another 32 percent believe they’ve lost money because of poor rates.
On average, these people predict they have been left out of pocket to the tune of £90 – but some believe they have lost up to £500. And this all comes as almost 28 percent admit they struggle to stick to a budget while on holiday.
On top of losing out on money due to poor exchange rates, people also struggle with understanding how to travel to the event when they’re in a different country, and where the best places are to stay for it.
A third of those polled claim they would be happy to pay more for a holiday if they were getting expert and local insight on the destination from a travel agent.
And 63 percent expect a travel agent to be able to offer advice on currency exchange rates when booking through them.
However, despite many experiencing difficulties organising an event, only one in ten have booked their trips via a travel agent, according to the OnePoll.com figures.
Thanim Islam, from Equals Money, which specialises in international payments, added: “Checking for good exchange rates is an essential step in ensuring your hard-earned money goes further.
“Exchange rates fluctuate, and even the slightest variation can have a significant impact on your budget. This is also an issue for travel agencies themselves, which have to handle many transactions across different currencies each day.
“We help to create a consolidated, end-to-end payments journey for travel agencies, so they spend less time thinking about receiving and sending payments, and have more time to focus on delivering quality consultations.”
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