What’s more, the countries with the highest concentration of supernatural goings-on have been found, with America and Spain topping the list.
Seeing ghostly figures, hearing someone who isn’t there and taking photos with orbs in are the top supernatural occurrences when holidaying abroad, with as many as one in nine coming across something supernatural and unexpected.
The team behind accommodation comparison site hotelscan.com polled 2,402 people aged 18 and over from around the UK, all of whom stated that they have been on holiday abroad at least once in the past year.
Firstly, all respondents were asked: “Have you ever experienced something ‘supernatural’ whilst you were on holiday?” to which one in nine respondents revealed that they had. Of the relevant respondents, over half (54 per cent) revealed that their supernatural experience took place at the hotel they were staying in, 36 per cent said it happened whilst they were sightseeing and the remaining 10 per cent stated it took place by the pool.
These participants were asked to state what their supernatural experience abroad was, with the following five situations appearing as the most common:
- I saw a ghostly figure – 28 per cent
- I heard someone who wasn’t there – 24 per cent
- I took a picture with orbs in it – 19 per cent
- I thought I saw a UFO – 9 per cent
- There were persistent scratching noises in my room – 5 per cent
When these respondents were asked if they believed in ghosts and the supernatural before they had this experience on holiday, 51 per cent said they did, with 49 per cent revealing they did not. Of those who didn’t, 68 per cent admitted it had ‘changed their mind’.
Following on from this, the survey wanted to determine which country these experiences were the most likely to happen in. All relevant participants were asked where they had seen or felt this paranormal occurrence, with the following five countries topping the list:
- America – 16 per cent
- Spain – 15 per cent
- France – 11 per cent
- Ireland – 9 per cent
- Croatia – 6 per cent
Finally, relevant respondents were asked whether their supernatural experiences had put them off going to the country where this occurred, to which two fifths (42 per cent) admitted it had.
A spokesperson for hotelscan.com commented: “Many hotels in America, Spain and France are very old and have very rich – and sometimes violent – pasts. If you do believe in ghosts and the supernatural, these locations would be perfect for spotting some spooky goings on. If you are easily scared though, maybe it’s best to book a more modern hotel.”
