Internet searches for flights in the post-Christmas week have fallen by more than 40 per cent in the space of a year, according to new data that will add to worries in the travel industry about the impact of the recession on British holidaymakers.

According to Hitwise, a division of Experian, the week ending January 3 saw a 42 per cent decline in web searches by UK internet users for flights compared with the same week last year. Traffic to travel websites fell by 16 per cent in the same period.