What’s in an accent? Quite a lot according to the latest research from KAYAK.co.uk, which looks at which foreign accents set our heart racing, as well as which ones we find most reassuring amongst pilots.
And it is good news for anyone from France – with 30% of British travellers saying the French accent is the sexiest on the planet.
Looking at just women’s preferences however, Italian came out top (34%). And it’s not just Italian accents British women favour – as Italians also came top for the nationality they would most like to have a holiday romance with (18%).
Although hope is not lost for British men, as ‘another Brit’ came second in the attraction stakes, followed by Americans (13%).
And whilst men favour the French accent (31%) it is Scandinavian people they find most attractive (19%), just pipping Italy (19%) and France (17%) to the post.
And accents aren’t just important for romance for British travellers – as six in ten (61%) say they would make a presumption about their pilot based on the accent that comes over the tannoy.
When asked which accent they find most reassuring, British travellers appear to lean towards a bit of posh, with ‘Queen’s English’ being voted the most reassuring accent, followed by a South of England accent. In third place was a Scottish accent, whilst a Northern English accent was fourth.
And whilst the Queen’s English may have clear associations with London, it is another London accent we find least reassuring – Cockney. Just 1% of Brits said they would find this the most reassuring accent in a pilot.
John-Lee Saez, Managing Director for KAYAK Europe, comments: “At KAYAK, we are known for our deep insight into the travel industry – but holidays are also all about having fun. We therefore wanted to take a light-hearted look at something we all encounter on foreign holidays – accents.
“The research will be heartening news for any French or Italian people, as it seems their accents send British hearts racing. It was also quite surprising to see so many Brits will make presumptions about their pilots and feel more or less reassured based on their accent.”
NOTES TO EDITOR:
Research conducted by Opinium Research amongst 1,007 adults in the UK, between 10-14 January 2019 and not previously published.
