Research Shows Staycations are on the Rise
11 April 2019
More British holidaymakers are choosing to stay close to home this summer instead of travelling abroad as the trend for staycations continues to grow, according to data gleaned from booking details and online travel searches by British consumers.
Brits will be able to take holidays in beauty spots in places like Devon and Cornwall – as the Prime Minister officially announced staycations from July 4.
Boris Johnson made the announcement in the House of Commons, paving the way for families languishing in lockdown to finally get away from a break.
Hotels were given the green light to throw open their doors as long as they were kept clean and safe.
Holidaymakers will expect to see some big changes when they do finally start their staycation. They include:
- Contactless check-in at hotels, bed and breakfast and camp sites
- Campers will have to stay in their car until they are directed to their pitch
- In all settings they will be expected to stay over a metre apart from someone else
- Breakfast buffets and mini bars are all out for the time being
- Visitors could be asked to bring their own toilets with them
- Guests will also be asked to bring their own hand sanitiser and soap
- All paperwork and phones will be removed from hotel rooms
- Camp sites will clean their toilets six times a day
After the Government confirmed that it is revising the 14-day quarantine measures for a number of popular overseas destinations, this leads to the question: how many people will be comfortable travelling abroad for their holidays and how many will opt to stay within the UK borders?
At the moment, it appears that staycations are tipping the balance. After another Government announcement around the reopening of the hospitality sector in England from 4 July, holiday bookings across the UK are reported to have risen significantly with coastal counties and holiday destinations, such as Devon and Cornwall, seeing notable surges. Although when you see the recent photos taken at some coastal resorts, the back garden, a tent, a BBQ and ready access to fridge with an array of cold beverages also remains attractive! Hoseasons and Cottages.com, two of the largest self-catered holiday accommodation providers in the UK, were said to have recently seen their best online sales days, with the former seeing a booking every 11 seconds, and the latter seeing a 455% surge. Sykes Holiday Cottages saw similar growth, with a 417% booking growth over the past month, and a 221% growth compared to the previous June. These figures demonstrate the demand for a post-lockdown break and how many people either can’t afford an overseas holiday or are choosing to holiday in the UK.
