The results of a new 2009 Travel Outlook survey released today by Kayak.co.uk, indicate that despite industry fears, the majority of Brits (85%) are still expecting to travel abroad this year. However the deepening recession is significantly changing when, how and where Brits are booking their summer holidays.

Kayak.co.uk’s latest survey of over 1,000 UK users reveals that while high street travel agents have historically enjoyed being the first port of call for holidaymakers, this year cash-conscious Brits are swarming the Web in order to find the best possible deals.

Nearly every single respondent (92%) is planning to go online to find the best price for airfare, hotel and car rental, believing the best deals are found on the Web. Conversely, fewer than one percent of survey respondents (0.8%) will turn to high street travel agents for advice on stretching summer budgets.

Although there’s still a tremendous appetite for escaping the recession blues, finding new ways to get greater value for money is understandably a key concern. Approximately three-quarters of respondents (73%) are planning to take two or less holidays this year. Staying in budget (32%) is a bigger concern than having fun (24%), getting your rocks off (2.2%) or protecting the environment (1.5%).

As a result, holidaymakers are much more open to creative solutions and alternative travel plans. Some of the most popular ways Brits are planning to save cash include:

• Choosing a destination in off-season to take advantage of lower prices (66%)
• Swapping European strongholds like Spain for alternative destinations that provide more bang for the buck – such as South Africa, Iceland, Thailand and Malaysia (65%)
• Staying with friends or relatives (46%)
• Trading down the number of stars on the hotel (42%)

“As a nation we’ll always be obsessed with getting away from it all, even when times are tough,” said Faisal Galaria, managing director Europe and Asia for Kayak.co.uk. “In fact, our last survey revealed that nine times out of ten, Brits are more likely to cut back on everyday luxuries than deny themselves some well-deserved time off. Kayak.co.uk traffic is not suffering. In fact, we’re bucking the industry trend and finding consumers are coming to the website more often, spending more time on each visit, and using money-saving tools such as Fare Alerts and Flexible Search. We’re seeing Brits will travel once they find the price to fit their budget.”

However, it’s clear the impact of the financial crisis on travel plans hasn’t hit rock bottom just quite yet, as the majority of Brits will still opt for convenience over cash when it comes to their departure airports. More than half (59.7%) of respondents would happily pay an additional £50 in order to catch a flight from their closest airport.