London, Nov 9 : One in five Britons has had sex with at least one new partner while travelling abroad, a new survey has revealed.

Men are more likely to have a holiday fling, with 14 per cent aged 16 to 44 starting a romance, compared to seven per cent of women.

This figure rose to 17 percent for 16-24 year-old women, and 23 percent of men of that age group, reports The Sun.

The vast majority of Britons' overseas sexual partners were from Europe: half were British, and over a third from European countries.

Concerning the risk of HIV, respondents cited North America, Thailand and Kenya as high-risk countries, said the survey of 12,000 people.

The study also found that one in 10 men and one in 12 women who had sex while abroad thought the HIV risk was high.

British men were 'significantly' more likely than women to have sex with Asian and North American partners.

Researcher Dr Catherine Mercer, of University College London, said safe sex on holiday should be more seriously promoted.

The findings were based on interviews with a random sample of 12,000 men and women aged between 16 and 44, as part of the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL). (ANI)