British holidaymakers are not being deterred from their much-needed breaks this year despite the ongoing recession, according to travel industry insider.

The holidays channel manager at Travelsupermarket.com Kayte Williams said that the results of internal research by the website had shown that holiday search figures for January and February are holding up.

"The results that we have seen so far for January and February would indicate that lots of people are still prepared to go on holiday and try to travel. We have seen a slight decline, but obviously there is still an appetite for holidays,” she said.

"As people work longer hours, especially in this country, they are most unwilling to give up their holiday," she added.

Ms Williams predicted that bookings will remain high throughout the summer season and said that the holidays are probably one of the last things to be struck off Brits' wish-lists in difficult financial circumstances.

Recently, research by the accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that holidays are the top financial priority for Brits after they have cleared their debts.

A TUI Travel survey found that exactly the same percentage of respondents as last year, 87 per cent, intended to head abroad for a break.