The Australian love affair with the beach is getting stronger.
About 60 per cent of Australians took a beach holiday in the past 12 months and that figure is tipped to rise to almost 70 per cent over the next 12 months, according to a survey by online travel company Expedia.
The second annual Flip Flop report has also revealed that Australians spend an average of $2000-$3000 on their beach holidays and go for an average of seven or eight days.
'But it's not all good news for Australian beach operators.
The survey, of more than 8000 people around the world, including 400 Australians, says 63 per cent of beach-going Aussies will take an international beach trip, while only 37 per cent will get sand between their toes in Australia.
Sleeping in or taking a nap are favourite beach holiday indulgences, followed by eating more than usual, the survey says.
The poll reveals that Germans are the most likely to go nude at the beach, with 17 per cent saying they have stripped off.
Only 5 per cent of Australians cite going nude at the beach as their preference but 24 per cent confess to going topless and 72 per cent said Speedos are acceptable beach wear.
However, only 7 per cent admitted to wearing Speedos, the favourite beach attire of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott.
Meanwhile, a group of 729 nudists have broken the record for collective nude bathing. The group hit the water at El Playazo beach in the Spanish town of Vera, taking the Guinness world record away from the previous holder, New Zealand.
