It seems that even wealthy holidaymakers are feeling the pinch of the credit crunch, prompting one posh people’s tour operator to offer them easy-payment facilities.

International Travel Connections, which owns the ITC Classics, ITC Sports and Complete Caribbean brands, is giving clients the option of spreading the cost of their holidays over a period of several months via direct debit.

This option, which requires an initial 10% deposit, is only available to holidaymakers who book more than four months in advance. The cost of the holiday is still paid in full before the date of departure.

ITC head of business development Jennifer Atkinson said the initiative had had a ‘positive impact on bookings’. She added: “ITC clients are defying the current trend for not spending. This could be down to the fact that we have worked proactively launching a direct debit service that will make payments easier.”

By Linsey McNeill