In a survey of 16,500 British holidaymakers, beach sellers have been named the biggest annoyance whilst relaxing on the beach, reveals leading online travel agent On the Beach.

With Brits working longer hours than many other Europeans, holidays are a crucial time for relaxation and beach sellers interrupting Brits precious tanning time are not greeted kindly, with a whopping 21% voting this as their greatest beach bugbear.

The survey which ranked common annoyances that can often spoil a day at the beach revealed a nation angered by those neglecting the environment and health. Littering was ranked as the 2nd biggest annoyance, followed by fellow holidaymakers smoking on the beach with 18% and 16% of the vote respectively.

At the other end of the scale, results also show that contrary to popular belief, the prudish stereotype Brits have been labelled with for so many years, couldn't be further from the truth. Bare bodies are no longer a concern according to holidaymakers, with nudity ranking in 10th position with just 1% of the vote.

The survey continues to delve deeper, revealing a huge 43% of Brits chose to rise above stereotypes and preconceptions, believing annoying behaviour is based on nurture not nation.

Brits were hardest on themselves, with one in four finding holidaymakers from the UK most annoying in-resort, perhaps due to the younger generation letting their hair down a bit too much on holiday.

When in the past Brits may have judged other nations on preconceived opinions, results show this way of thinking is fast becoming outdated. Just one in 10 Brits named the Germans as the most annoying nation abroad and a minuscule 2% named the French. 

Alistair Daly Chief Marketing Officer at On the Beach comments, “We all look forward to our long awaited holiday in the sun so any distractions when we're trying to relax can be very annoying.  We are renowned as a nation of prudes, especially compared to some of our more liberal European neighbours, however our results show that Brits are no longer offended by nudity, so it would seem this stereotype is somewhat obsolete. The results also suggest dated opinions of other nations are also dying out, as travel savvy Brits become increasingly relaxed towards holidaymakers from other countries.”

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For more information please contact Jamie Wortley at On the Beach on 01769 579 976 or email Jamie.Wortley@onthebeach.co.uk

About On the Beach
  

On the Beach is a leading online travel company in the UK. Since launch in 1995, On the Beach has become one of the UK's most popular beach holiday booking sites with 45 million site visitors and close to one million customers choosing On the Beach to find, book and enjoy their perfect beach holiday. Book online at www.onthebeach.co.uk, or by calling the UK call centre on 0871 474 3000