Cash-strapped French cut down on holidays

The global downturn is forcing French families to scrap their summer holidays and those who will be frolicking on the beach plan to watch every euro they spend, according to a survey on Tuesday. About 62 percent of the French told the OpinionWay polling firm they were going on vacation this summer, down from 73 percent last year.
An additional 21 percent of those surveyed said they didn't know yet whether they would be able to take a holiday, compared to 14 percent who were in the same situation last year. A whopping 77 percent said their holiday budget was smaller than last year's, with one in four planning to spend fewer than 250 euros per person during the trip.