London - There are luxury holidays – and then there are luxury holidays for the President of the United States.
The bill for Barack Obama’s annual Christmas family break in Hawaii comes to at least $8-million, according to freedom of information campaigners in the US.
Included in the total are 17 days at the resort of Kailua on the island of Oahu and a Secret Service protection detail.
By far the biggest expense is Presidential jet Air Force One which flew the Obamas from Washington DC to Honolulu.
Records obtained by Judicial Watch show that the plane was in service for 39 hours during the family’s 2013 trip at a cost of £142 000 (about R3-million) an hour.
President Obama usually goes on holiday with a minimum of 25 Secret Service agents, while his entourage of advisers, medics and assistants number at least a dozen.
Judicial Watch discovered the Secret Service spent £62 000 on car hire, while a further £152 000 was paid out for their accommodation in Hawaii.
They said the Obamas’ travel bill for holidays and unofficial trips stands at over £47-million nce he won office in 2009.
Daily Mail