Kiwis cut back on holidays

Kiwis feeling the pinch of an economic downturn are taking shorter and fewer holidays, or increasingly, no holidays at all.

A Reader's Digest study found that in 2009 New Zealanders were concerned about saving money in their breaks.

Four out of 10 New Zealanders had cut their holiday shorter or chosen a cheaper destination to save money.

Seven per cent of those surveyed had cancelled their holidays altogether.

Half of those spoken to in the study said that a weekend or three-day escape was a sufficient break.

Seventy per cent of respondents decided they would travel locally for their break this year, a marked increase on past studies.