The Staycation trend is bigger than ever this year and as a result, the UK’s top 20 favourite holiday locations will see an economic boost of more than £12 billion between them - as 41 million Britons opt for a great British holiday in these destinations this year.
These findings have been revealed in a new travel report out today. Budget hotel chain, Travelodge surveyed 3,000 Britons to investigate their holiday plans for 2013 and key findings revealed from the top 20 list of popular Staycation holidays for this year, rural breaks dominate the charts with nine places.
More than 17 million (17.3m) Britons report that they will visit one of the nine rural locations that appear in the UK’s top 20 Staycation destinations this year. The total spend from these visitors will inject an extra £5.2 billon into these rural economies.
The most popular rural destination is the Lake District, whose 3.2 million annual holidaymakers will boost the local economy by almost £1bn (£980,000). Other popular rural locations are the Scottish Highlands, which will see a boost of £802m from its 2.6 million visitors, and Dorset – a new entrant into the top ten of the Staycation charts – made popular this year by the hit TV show Broadchurch.
City locations account for six of the top 20 destinations, with capital cities London and Edinburgh respectively dominating the top places in the 2013 Staycation charts. With more than four million (4.2 million) Britons holidaying in London this year, each visitor will be spending on average £308.20 on accommodation, dining, entertainment and local attractions. This total investment will boost the capital’s economy by £1.3 billion.
Edinburgh is the nation’s second most popular Staycation destination this year (up from fifth place in 2012), with four million (4.1 million) Britons holidaying in the historic city in 2013 – this will boost the local economy by £1.2 billion.
Other key city locations for British holidaymakers are the great northern cities which includes: York, Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool – each offering a mixture of history, heritage and beauty combined with a rich variety of fun things to do and places to visit.
The 2013 Staycation chart shows that the traditional popularity of seaside resorts remains the case today, with Cornwall, Devon and Blackpool each making our top ten favourite Staycation destinations, despite a slight fall in their ranking from last year. Seaside locations account for a quarter of the top 20 destinations, with almost ten million visitors heading to the five locations that appear in the list, which includes the Isle of Wight and Bournemouth.
This shows that the bellwether seaside destinations of previous generations are still pulling in holidaymakers, with Cornwall seeing 3.2 million visitors boost the local economy by £972 million, Devon benefitting by £640 million thanks to 2.1 million holidaymakers, and Blackpool’s 1.8 million visitors boosting the town’s local economy by £550 million.
The report also revealed a new holiday trend for intergenerational family holidays this year, as a third (32%) of Britons will use their Staycation break to bring together more than one generation of their family. Holidaying with children and grandparents allows the 20% of Britons who want to holiday for nostalgic reasons to share their childhood experiences with different generations of their family.
Other key findings revealed that 42% of British holidaymakers will be enjoying a week’s holiday, whilst 13% are indulging in a two week break so that they can enjoy a long holiday. A third of British holidaymakers are taking multiple short breaks in different locations across the UK in order to sample the rich variety on offer. With one in five (21%) of Britons reporting that they have created a ‘UK bucket list’, this indicates a growing trend towards taking shorter holidays, but at a greater frequency, with a view to seeing what the UK has to offer.
Grant Hearn, Travelodge CEO said: “The Staycation trend accelerating to record levels and boosting our economy by £12 billion this year is a welcome sign and hopefully this is the start of our 2012 Olympics legacy gain.”
“However we cannot sit on our laurels, as one of Britain’s biggest business sectors, the opportunity to grow is still great. We are no way near to unlocking the true potential of our industry. British tourism needs to be treated like a serious business sector and Government needs to move our industry from the Department of Culture Media & Sports to the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. Lack of immediate action is costing jobs, growth and investment.”
The 2013 holiday report has also revealed the following key findings:
• In 2013 65% of British adults are choosing to holiday on British shores - a huge increase from last year when 41% of Britons opted to holiday in the UK and from 2011 when just 35% of adults holidayed in Great Britain.
• A third (33%) of respondents stated that it is cheaper to holiday in the UK than abroad plus it is better value for money. The average foreign holiday cost quoted in the report was £1,010.00.
• Over a third of Britons (35%) believe it is important to holiday in the UK in order to preserve our heritage and support British tourism.
• Over a quarter of Britons (27%) stated that a holiday is one of the few things that they refuse to cut back on.
• A third of Britons (33%) research and book their Staycation break online.