Growing trend for post holiday makeovers revealed - 27 August 2008
Jet-setters returning from their annual summer holidays are shaking off their post-break blues by giving their lives a complete overhaul, according to Yell.com — the online service from Yellow Pages.Yell.com’s data experts, who analyse the search habits of its millions of users, found searches for services that help to create a “whole new you”, such as image consultants, cosmetic surgeries and careers advice, have increased on average by 132 per cent* from the start to the end of the key summer holiday period**.
It appears that seeing the dreaded holiday snaps perhaps fuels an increased longing for a perfect beach body as searches for cosmetic surgery have risen by 59 per cent, while searches for image consultants have grown by a massive 206 per cent as summer 2008 draws to a close.
Returning holidaymakers from across the UK also yearn for changes that are more than skin deep. A 144 per cent rise in searches for careers advice suggests a struggle to get back into the old routine or the desire for a radical career change, while a 119 per cent increase in searches for drama schools could indicate a need for a new hobby.
Clodagh Ward, consumer development director at Yell, said: “Search patterns on Yell.com suggest we start thinking about radical life-changing decisions once we’ve ‘got away from it all’. Whether the need is triggered by comparing bodies on the beach or having time to think about an unsuitable job, post-holiday blues are often powerful enough to spur us into action.”
Tim Martin, life coach at Harley Street-based clinic Altogether Hypnotherapy, said: “Holidays give us a chance to break away from the norm and see things from a different perspective, highlighting the things in life we aren’t happy with. We also want to feel that our week or fortnight in the sun isn’t just a temporary respite from our usual routines, but that we can take something from them to make permanent, positive changes.
“These changes manifest themselves in different ways, whether physical, permanent, or fleeting fads. We all need something to help us feel better about returning home, particularly when the weather here has been so miserable.”
For further information about this press release, please contact the Yell Press Office.
*Yell.com analysts calculated the increase in searches by comparing the volume in searches in May 2008 with searches in July 2008 across the following classifications:
- Cosmetic surgery
- Image consultants
- Careers advice
- Drama schools
**Data from the National Office of Statistics shows that 17.7million UK adults go abroad in June and July.
Yell
Yell is a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Spain and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell’s principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and Yellow Pages 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.
Yell.com
Launched in 1996, Yell.com is a leading local search engine and major online advertising medium for UK businesses. Yell.com provides users with a direct route to finding a business or service online using keyword, type of business, or company name and location as search criteria. Users can review relevant search results and quickly determine the right business for their needs.
Yell.com’s database of over two million UK business listings including 210,000 searchable advertisers (June 2008) can be accessed via the web site (www.yell.com) and mobile channels including JAVA™ and WAP services. www.yell.com provides several useful features such as zoom-enabled maps with directions, closest car parks and a personal Yell.com address book facility to keep a record of regularly used businesses.
Yell.com is part of Yell, a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Spain and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell’s principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and Yellow Pages 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.
Yell's online image library, containing product shots and logos can be found at: www.yellgroup.com/images.
