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UK family visits hit by petrol price rises

LONDON, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Family reunions in the UK could be hit by fuel-price fears this Christmas, a leading motoring organization said here Wednesday.
With average petrol prices now at more than one pound a litre, 58 percent of drivers say they are less likely to travel this festive season compared with last year, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) said.
And a survey by the RAC also found that 49 percent of drivers are predicting they will spend less time on the road this Christmas than last.
Even so, the RAC is predicting that 18 million cars will be in use this Friday, four million on Christmas Day (December 25) and about 16 million on December 27 and 28.
The motoring organization added that the busiest time is likely to be this Friday, the beginning of the long Christmas and New Year holiday in the UK.
Meanwhile, more than three million Britons will be taking advantage of the Christmas and New Year break to take a foreign holiday, according to the UK Travel Trust Association.
A spokesman for the association said "Britons are fairly predictable in their choice of destination." "The biggest number are heading to Spain, particularly the Canary Islands. For long-haul travellers, Florida is a popular spot this year, while skiers are heading for France, Austria and Italy," he added.
Top city break destinations are Paris, Amsterdam and New York. (end) he.rk KUNA 191308 Dec 07NNNN