I recently came from London after attending World Travel Market. On the way to Heathrow Airport I asked my driver about the traffic ahead and he said “Sir, I don’t think it will be busy today…people are rather quiet these days, because we are in a recession.” Hmmm, I did not expect that, so I kept silent for a while.

Few minutes later he got a call on his cellular and he answered. I know it is rude to eardrop other peoples conversation but it was too hard not to, within the small space in the cab. He picked the call and started talking about a dress for someone, for a party over the weekend. By the end of his phone call I gathered he was talking to his wife and the dress was for his daughter.

Until I reach the airport and while I was waiting for my flight all I though about was the cab drivers phone conversation and the reaction to a simple domestic decision of buying a dress for his daughter. What I learnt from that conversation is that Britons are more reluctant to spend their disposal income. They are taking more time to decide whether to buy a dress, take a family vacation next year or what to get for this Christmas.

Then I remembered a previous post where I said, Britons are making their long haul holiday decisions very late. The market used to be a six month lead-time bookers but it has now gone down to six weeks.

This statement together with the cab drivers reaction simply tells me “Change the direction of your Cash-Register”.