Sibling squabbles and overbearing in-laws – are these Christmas holiday stereotypes in fact a myth?

With today officially marking the end of the festive period as the Christmas cards come down and the baubles make their way back to the attic for another year, new research has revealed that despite the supposed ‘family politics’ that have become somewhat of a Christmas period stereotype, Brits do in fact love spending time with their families over the break and would love to have the opportunity to do more of it in 2017. 

In the survey conducted by holiday experts CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), more than two thirds (67 per cent) of people said that they really enjoyed seeing their family at Christmas with half of respondents commenting that this was the most important part of the festive period for them. While over a quarter of respondents (27 per cent) said that they liked spending time with their extended family for a limited time only, making time to enjoy their company during the rest of the year is in fact the number one priority for 50 per cent of them.

It seems that millions of us are also keen to improve our work/life balance in 2017 to ensure more quality time with loved ones. 28 per cent of those surveyed answered that regrettably, their personal lives can get neglected due to work commitments. As a result, 37 per cent answered that having too much on at work causes them a great deal of stress and that a holiday is key to reducing this.

When it comes to planning a 2017 getaway, 60 per cent of respondents are prioritising time to relax and unwind from the stresses of work, combined with 37 per cent naming quality family time as the most important reason for booking a holiday.

As well as destressing and time with loved ones, respondents also named having great views (41 per cent); the chance to visit more than one destination in the same holiday (36 per cent); a pool (30 per cent) and good entertainment (20 per cent), as key factors when considering their next getaway.

With all of these options uniquely available as part of a cruise holiday, Andy Harmer, VP of Operations and Director of CLIA UK & Ireland comments:

“Brits looking to take a break from the stresses of daily life and spend more time with the family should definitely be considering a cruise to meet all of their holiday needs and desires. Thanks to a combination of new destinations, on board experiences for family members of all ages along with plenty of new ships and state of the features there will be more choice in cruise holidays than ever before.”