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When it comes to booking a summer holiday, it seems a child's wishlist is at odds with their parents, according to a new study.

Forget jetting away for sunshine, all youngsters want when on a break is a sandy beach, a theme park and a water park.

Children would also prefer not to fly abroad unless absolutely necessary, with 73 per cent saying their ideal break wouldn't involve a plane journey, the survey of 2,000 six to 17-year-olds revealed.

Wishlist: Children voted a sandy beach a priority when going on a summer holiday, says the survey

Only one in 20 children were bothered about sunshine, with their priorities a sandy beach (59 per cent), a seaside location (50 per cent), a theme park (46 per cent) and a water park (48 per cent).

More than six out of 10 (64 per cent) children believe it is crucial they visit a resort where they can speak English when they go on a family holiday.

And more than half of children (55 per cent) say it should take no longer than four hours, door-to-door, to get from their UK home to their holiday resort. 

Almost seven out of 10 kids don't want long walks or, worse still, car journeys to the nearest beach on their perfect getaway, according to the OnePoll survey for Visit Blackpool. 

Some 67 per cent said getting to the beach should be no more than a brief 10-minute walk from their holiday accommodation.

The best bit of a holiday for youngsters is the beach (37 per cent) and going to the attractions (29 per cent). As long as it's at the seaside - 86 per cent say they prefer to be right beside the seaside for a perfect holiday.

'Are we there yet?': Children said their ideal break involved spending fewer than four hours in the car

Iain Hawkins, spokesman for the BlackpoolsBack campaign , said: 'What kids want from a holiday is a real, sandy beach and less than four hours travelling time, a great theme park and water park and without having to fly.

'We imagined the UK weather might be an issue - but it really wasn't. Only one in 20 children see the weather as a barrier to having a great holiday.

'We tested the holiday opinions of 2,000 children aged six to 17 asking them to rate their perfect holiday based on a wish-list constructed from a number of factors including: a real sandy beach, theme park, travelling time, weather, location, attractions, swimming facilities, food, distance to the beach, language and method of travel. 

'And it's great to see that Blackpool managed to tick all the boxes. Even Orlando and the Costa del Sol couldn't manage that.'