Picture not so perfect

Brits are fed up of travel photos showing unrealistic, picture-perfect scenes. A new study has found almost a third of us (29%) would rather see ‘authentic’ snaps showing what holidays are really like. In fact, we are seven times MORE likely to visit a destination after seeing a picture posted on social media that shows its true colours.

Research by Hampton by Hilton reveals that 28 per cent find these unrealistic and picture-perfect travel images annoying, with holiday ‘hot dog’ legs topping the charts as the worst offender. The study also found that in reality, only 10 per cent of Brits’ annual leave is spent taking exotic long-haul holidays.

The rest is spent on trips in the UK and Europe, with 35 per cent of Brits’ annual leave used for ‘occasion’ travel to things like concerts, sporting events and family birthdays. The USA, Italy and the Caribbean continue to top the bucket list of dream destinations for 2020, but the research shows more Brits will be travelling to London, the Lake District and Edinburgh this year.

Aston spoke to Ian Weldon, documentary photographer to discuss the research in further detail and also about ‘This is Real Travel’ series