Kuoni, the luxury tour operator, has published its latest report on how different British holidaymakers behave abroad, with revealing some results.

According to the survey, Liverpudlians have more sex on holiday, Londoners most dislike body odour, holidaymakers from Sheffield buy the most new clothes for their holidays, child-free couples fret over litter and Brummies abstain from drinking alcohol.

The Kuoni Holiday Report 2011 is part of the company’s strategy of getting closer to its customers by understanding them better. The report looks at behaviour before, during and after a holiday, including eating and spending preferences, manners, etiquette, holiday romance and sexual habits.

Despite the regional variations highlighted throughout the report, what unifies the research is how different British holidaymakers behave when on holiday. Escaping from their every day routines, the Brits discard their regular persona and… eat less healthily, exercise less, drink more, dress more provocatively, expect more sex and in more adventurous places and spend more money.

In short, Brits lose their inhibitions on holiday, whether aged 25 or 65. Over half do things out of character – such as drink more alcohol - and feel liberated by the fact that no-one knows who they are.

Christine Webber, psychotherapist and health writer and broadcaster, said:
“Times are really tough for most people in the UK at the moment, so it’s a small wonder that people want to let off steam on holiday.

“It’s particularly interesting to me that some respondents actually enjoy adopting a whole new persona on holiday. It’s as if they’re conducting an experiment, which might lead to real change at a later date. In the midst of our busy lives, we often fantasise about embracing a completely different lifestyle, or becoming a different sort of person, and it seems as if holidays allow us to flirt with the sort of changes we dream about.
“Luxury holidays are great times to reconnect with the person we love, and to remind each other of the importance of romance and closeness.

“Many of us have no option but to work flat-out these days if we are to hold onto our jobs. But this can turn us into dull, stressed-out, irritable and terribly tired individuals. By taking a holiday, we restore balance and sanity into our lives. We have time to think and we have time to just chill.”