The traditional ‘bucket and spade’ family holiday is a thing of the past, a new study has revealed. Parents are turning away from the conventional beach holiday to cater for their children’s short attention spans, love of video games and need for constant stimulation.
Ahead of the October half-term, the study found six out of ten parents feel their kids are less interested in classic holiday pastimes, and need more activities to hold their attention.
A despairing one in three feel their child would always choose to play computer games over a day on the beach.
The study of 2,000 parents and children was commissioned by Club Med.
The children in the study confirmed the trend, with nearly half of primary school kids admitting they get bored of sunbathing, one in four fed up with the bucket and spade and more than a fifth say the swimming pool doesn’t excite them.
The results are a far cry from the previous generation – eight in ten of the parents studied said a day building sandcastles on the beach was all they needed when they were young.
But the typical sun, sea and sand holiday is no longer enough for modern children, with 62% of parents in the study saying a simple beach does not satisfy the family.
Remarkably, one in four has actually had to abandon days at the seaside because their kids became bored and restless.
Laurent De Chorivit, MD of Club Med UK, said:
”For this generation of children it’s less sun, sea and sand – and more trapeze, tennis and table football.
”With iPads, smartphones and so much to entertain kids at home, it’s no surprise they are more demanding on holiday.”
The study found an increasing trend for kids in trying new activities, with a desire to try horse riding, crazy golf and windsurfing among the list of activities they most want to be able to try.
Go karting, table tennis and archery are all also high on the list for children looking to become more active while away.
Indeed, six in ten kids say the biggest reason they like going on holiday is because of the chance to try new things as a family.
It therefore comes as no surprise that 65% of parents say they are more likely to book to stay at a resort that has a wide range of activities for the whole family.
Laurent De Chorivit added:
”Our resorts boast a wealth of activities for kids of all ages, from fishing in China and swimming with dolphins in Mauritius, to flying trapeze.
”And if they’re not joining the windsurfing or trapeze flying themselves, parents can sit back and relax while their kids are kept busy.”
TOP 10 ACTIVITIES KIDS WANT TO TRY ON HOLIDAY
1. Horse riding
2. Crazy golf
3. Go karting
4. Archery
5. Table tennis
6. Tennis
7. Badminton
8. Table football
9. Trapeze swinging
10. Wind surfing