Although most people are now familiar with the term credit crunch and its effects, the holidaying habits of people in Larne do not appear to have changed much.

Ella Whiteside, Larne Co-Op Travelcare's assistant manager, said this could be because many holidays were booked months ago, before the economic forecast became quite so gloomy.

The agency has been busy recently, Ella said, catering for young couples and families heading off to a variety of destinations. The burgeoning cruise market, where everything is included in the price, is beginning to catch on and increasingly, Ella said, is within most holiday-makers' budgets.

Cruise passengers can enjoy food and entertainment as part of the overall price. "Although they are paying more at the end of the day it's becoming cheaper," she explained.

Ella told the Larne Times, "We've been busy all year. People are keeping an eye on prices until they know what's right for them. Maybe next year it will be a different story."

Florida, she said, is another popular destination, helped by the current exchange rate of around two dollars to the pound.

"A lot of holidays are already organised. There are lots of couples, not so many families. There's a mixture, sometimes you get a rush at the start of January. There were a lot of people looking to get away before the Twelfth," she said.

Ella added that would-be hiliday-makers were left with few last minute choices in the period up to the Twelfth, a time of year when many people in Northern Ireland prefer to get away.