FARMERS who complain that yuppie "jackeens" have all the fun will enjoy a survey which says that most Irish people who holiday abroad are young, middle class, and from Dublin.
The Taylor Nelson AGB survey said only 54 per cent of Irish adults went on holiday for four or more days last year. Half of these travelled to a destination in the Republic, while a daring 4 per cent ventured north of the Border. Only one in every three farmers reported being able to take a break away from it all.
The market research company said the figures were surprisingly low, given the current economic boom and the high level of consumer confidence. But the choice of a domestic holiday was unsurprising, given the excellent weather last summer.
The survey was carried out among 991 adults over four weeks in November and early December.
It said 34 per cent of those who went on holiday travelled to a continental European country, while 22 per cent vent to Britain, 5 per cent went to the US, and 5 per cent went to other countries.
These figures are open to misinterpretation, however, as a substantial number of people holidayed both at home and abroad.
The most popular destination in the Republic was Kerry (22 per cent), followed by Counties Galway (19 per cent), Cork (17 per cent) and Wexford (16 per cent). Dublin scored 8 per cent, with Clare, Donegal and Waterford one or two points behind.
A third of the respondents said their main reason for going on holiday was to visit relatives and friends, while a quarter said they went on holiday to sunbathe.