Leisure travellers 'avoiding plane travel'
Many Britons are opting to travel abroad by alternative means in order to avoid airport taxes and delays, experts have revealed.
According to Dover Harbour Board, the number of people taking their cars abroad rose to its highest point in almost a decade last year.
Bob Goldfield, chief executive of the organisation, attributed this to factors such as airlines' relatively poor punctuality and taxes on short-haul flights.
He said the board is now looking at expanding the capacity of the port in Dover in order to handle the extra volume of people.
This suggests that countries such as France could be set to attract a greater number of visitors, as it is easily accessible by ferry.
The findings come amid the ongoing problems at Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5, which has been beset with problems since it opened last week.
Many passengers have had their flights cancelled due to technical issues with its baggage handling system.
This has resulted in more than 28,000 items of luggage being misplaced.
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