Kids are flocking to museums this half term break in favour of thrill seeking attractions
Parents will spend £50 everyday to keep their little darlings entertained during half term
Young Britons are traditionalists at heart who are keen to explore their country’s heritage according to findings from a new children’s tourism report issued today.
Hotel chain, Travelodge polled 2,500 youngsters to attain their views on which British attractions they rate as the most iconic landmarks. Surprisingly young Britons predominately chose historical sites above modern attractions with the 153 year old, world’s largest four-faced clock, Big Ben topping the poll.
Second place was awarded to the 5,000 year old stone monument ‘Stonehenge’ and
The Tower of London, home to the crown jewels which was built nearly a millennium ago, took third place in the top 10 listing.
Buckingham Palace which has served as the official London residence of Britain’s sovereigns since 1837 reached fourth place. Fifth place was awarded to Europe’s largest ferris wheel, The London Eye – marking the only modern day attraction to make the poll.
The remainder of the listing was largely made up of landmarks built in the 1800s or before. In sixth place was Blackpool Tower, which was built in May 1894 and took its inspiration from the Eiffel Tower and in seventh place was Windsor Castle, which was originally built by William the Conqueror in the decade after the Norman conquest of 1066. Eighth position was taken by Hadrian’s Wall, the best known frontier in the entire Roman Empire which began construction in 122 AD.
The final places were taken up by Edinburgh Castle, which was built in the mid 1700s and is perched on an extent volcano and the famous White Cliffs of Dover - the only natural landmark to make the top ten list.
Listed below are the top 10 British landmarks as voted for by young Britons:
1. Big Ben
2. Stonehenge
3. Tower of London
4. Buckingham Palace
5. London Eye
6. Blackpool Tower
7. Windsor Castle
8. Hadrian’s Wall
9. Edinburgh Castle
10. White Cliffs of Dover
Further research findings revealed that following a patriotic summer which showcased how great, Great Britain really is, following the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and a summer of sport, a third of British youngsters said they believe it is important for them to explore their homeland.
In response to this growing interest, over a third of British kids have asked their parents if they can visit a museum or an art gallery during the half term break – in comparison just one in five kids have requested a trip to a theme park.
In pursuit of obtaining a better understating of the UK’s rich cultural history young Britons were asked which part of the UK they would most like to visit, topping the poll were cities steeped in history which included: London, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Bath.
Listed below are the top 10 cities that kids want to visit during half term:
1. London
2. Edinburgh
3. Bath / Liverpool
4. Manchester
5. York
6. Brighton and Hove
7. Cambridge
8. Birmingham
9. Bristol
10. Oxford
Further research findings revealed that 37% of British parents find it very stressful keeping their children entertained during the half term break and welcome their children’s new desire for British history - as it is an inexpensive form of entertainment.
Sandra Stancliffe, Head of Education and Interpretation, English Heritage: "We are delighted that children are expressing a keen interest in exploring British heritage and choosing to visit places with historical significance during their free time. Importantly, visiting the places in our country where history was actually made supports what children are learning in school.
“We are seeing more and more families joining English Heritage where they can enjoy a great day out and encourage their children to learn more about England's history along the way."
This half term break, parents will be forking out at on average around £50 a day from their tight household budget to keep their kids entertained. To help make ends meet over a third of parents revealed that for the last couple of months they have been scouring newspapers and websites for money off vouchers to help run their household budget during the school break. A fifth of parents admitted that they have encouraged their children to search for money off coupons too.
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge spokeswoman, said: “It’s fantastic news that young Britons are keen to preserve our heritage as nearly all of the attractions to make the children’s top ten list of iconic British landmarks have historical significance. This summer of patriotic fervour has certainly created an appetite for young Britons to discover what makes Great Britain so great.
“We have seen a substantial rise in bookings during the school holidays throughout the year and this half term is no exception. Travelodge hotels in London, Edinburgh, Bath, Liverpool, Manchester and York are booming with families taking a budget UK break during half term.”
Further findings revealed that half of British children are eager to visit London this half term because they want to meet the Queen, as well as Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Tracey Warmington
Senior Press Officer. T: 01844 358 698 E: tracey.warmington@travelodge.co.uk