The demand for Passports drops in the UK

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With more and more Brits choosing to holiday at home in these credit crunched times - 12 million stayed close to home this year rather than heading abroad - the demand for passports has fallen dramatically…

Just 5.23 million passports were issued in the year 2008-9, compare to 6.2 million in 2006-7. The cost of passports and the increasing trend for holidaying closer to home has seen the demand for passports fall by more than 10 per cent over the past two years.

The increase in passport prices is also putting UK holidaymakers off renewing until the last possible moment before a trip.

The cost of an adult passport has increased from £66 in 2006 to £72 in 2007. With another rise earlier this year, the price currently stands at £77.50. Thus, renewing a family of four’s passports could cost in excess of £300.

Home Office Permanent Secretary Sir David Normington said, “What has been happening in the last two years is that demand for passports has been falling and we think that is because, as the recession has come on, people are delaying renewing their passports.”

When compared to other holiday costs, such as cheap flights on budget airlines and bargain hotel rates - all of which have been falling to try and attract cash-strapped holidaymakers - the cost of passports seems ever higher.

I recently flew to Stockholm, Sweden for the weekend with my partner - our combined flights £60, Ryanair cost less than the renewal of one passport.

It’s the same story in the USA too. The U.S. airline industry is projected to carry 41 million fewer passengers in 2009, a decline that will continue through 2010, according to Boyd Group International. U.S. passenger levels may not again reach 2008 levels until after 2014.

Waiting times for a US passport have now been slashed by a quarter and there are 12 million requests for new passports rather than the predicted 17 million.

The Identity and Passport Service has also cut its staff due to the lack of passport demand.

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