Thomson Re-Think The Family Holiday As British Reach The Third Age Of Travelling

British families are entering the 3rd Age of travel, according to new research by Thomson Holidays.

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. October 14, 2008

UNITED KINGDOM, July 25, 2005. Thomson Holidays has reported a growing trend for the 'third age holiday', as more and more families book holidays that allow all three ages of the modern family to travel together; the child/teen, parents and grandparents.

Thomson has reported that more than half a million families went on holiday with extra adults included in their booking, (either grandparents or other older family members as well as parents and children) in 2004 - a 33% increase from four years ago*. Sales figures for 2005 indicate that this trend has continued to grow, and Thomson has predicted that by summer 2006 the figure will be closer to three quarters of a million families travelling on '3rd Age holidays'.

But whilst many families are travelling in larger numbers, Thomson has also seen the number of holidays taken by single parent families more than double over the last four years - a further example of how the family market is diversifying. In order to remain relevant in this rapidly changing market the number of flexible deals and less restrictive family offers available by British holiday companies has increased on year by year basis.

As these new trends in the family market have emerged - and in order to support the move towards more flexible family holidays - for the first time Thomson has designed a brochure solely dedicated to this new family market.

Thomson Family will provide a guide to the best family accommodation across the entire holiday market, from budget apartments to prestigious hotels, all inclusive resorts and family-friendly villas for summer 2006, supported with more large family, single parent and free child offers than ever before, making it easier for families outside the '2.4children' group to travel abroad.

Thomson responded to feedback from the hundreds of thousands of families who travelled abroad with the tour operator last year in order to tailor make a family brochure programme, which would be modern, flexible and relevant.

"The holiday market is every bit as diverse as the modern British family," said Miles Morgan, sales and marketing director for Thomson holidays," Not all families are made with 2.4 children or two parents. Neither do all families want to stay in only toddler friendly hotels, but want to also consider villas, top end hotels and newly emerging destinations beyond the traditional resorts. Thomson is in a great position to make sure families have access to whichever holiday suits them. And if more single parent, large family and free-child offers enable more families to travel, then for the first time Thomson now have a family specific brochure which can offer this."

Resorts will be reviewed and rated depending on their suitability to different child ages -from babies to older kids and teens- so families can easily identify the right holiday for them. Thomson Family will also recognised the importance of local knowledge, especially for young families, offering detailed local resort guides, with more specific information on localised areas, rather than just offering information on the destination as a whole.

Thomson Superfamily hotels will now offer extended superior childcare services and activities, round the clock family entertainment, as well as cr`eche facilities, teenage club 'The Grid' and the Thomson Superfamily soccer school run by FA qualified coaches courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur.