UK travellers will be holidaying on the moon by 2033, according to a third of travel agents polled by Holiday Extras.

This was one of the findings from its survey to celebrate its 25^th anniversary that looked into the changes in the travel industry during the last quarter century, polling 1,000 agents and 1,000 British consumers.

A quarter of agents think the travel industry has changed for the better over the last 25 years, with 58% of agents saying  the biggest change has been the growth of online sales.

This was in line with consumer findings - 71% of whom book their holidays online and 25% through an agent.

Nearly half of agents said the types of destinations chosen by travellers had changed and a third believed people were taking more holidays than in 1983.

However, 38% of consumers felt they were taking the same number of holidays as before.

The credit crunch was seen by 40% of agents as the biggest issue for travel in the future.

Other longer-term factors included eco tourism becoming mainstream, the rise of long-haul weekend breaks as technology advances, and a greater desire for travel with increased money and leisure time.

Matthew Paxton, commercial director at Holiday Extras, said: “The results showed that the future of the travel industry may well be as eventful as the past 25 years.

"We at Holiday Extras look forward to continuing to provide our customers with great value products. After all, even if we do fly to the moon, we will still need somewhere to park our car.”