'Staycation nation' More than HALF of Britons set to stay in the UK this summer
GETTY Devon and Cornwall top the list of UK staycation destinations
And the “staycation” craze is set to boost the UK economy by a whopping £31billion. A traditional jaunt to the seaside remains a firm favourite, with 55 per cent flocking to Britain’s beaches this year. For the fourth consecutive year, Cornwall tops the chart as Britain’s top holiday destination. Devon takes second position and Bournemouth third. The UK’s rural landscape is also seen as a jewel of our national heritage and is the second most popular destination for a summer holiday for many Britons. This year, a third of adults are taking a rural break, with the top destinations the Lake District, Scottish Highlands and the Cotswolds.
GETTY Many Britons are swapping Lake Como for the Lake District
Our annual holiday index confirms that we have become a staycation nation. More Britons than ever are exploring what makes Great Britain so great. Shakila Ahmed
City breaks are the third most popular type of holidays, with London, Edinburgh and Bath being top destinations this year. The annual holiday report by Travelodge surveyed 3,000 British adults, and found the UK tourist industry is flourishing. Shakila Ahmed, of Travelodge, said: “Our annual holiday index confirms that we have become a staycation nation. “More Britons than ever are exploring what makes Great Britain so great, which is great news for our economy. We are seeing more Britons booking three-in-one holidays. This includes taking a city, rural and coastal break as part of a one-week holiday.” Britons are also taking shorter breaks, with the average length of the summer staycation now just one week. But while choosing to remain on home soil, the study shows British holidaymakers are spoiling themselves, splashing out a little extra on their summer break.
GETTY Bournemouth is perennially popular for UK tourists
The average spend on this year’s stay at home vacation will be £823 – an increase of 37 per cent from last year. It is also the highest spend since Travelodge started its annual holiday index in 2011, when the average spend was £399. The research also found 85 per cent of us now take three staycation breaks a year on average. The report also revealed that 38 per cent of Britons want to holiday in the UK rather than Europe in order to support their economy. The UK’s top staycationers are from Newcastle, with 82 per cent from the city revealing they are taking a staycation break this summer, with the average spend at £762. People from Wolverhampton took second place, with 77 per cent of residents spending £788 on their staycation summer break.
Separate studies have revealed that our holiday choices tend to be governed by when we were born. Millennials – those aged between 16 and 34 – tend to still shun staycations. While most other age groups are increasingly taking advantage of the chance to holiday at home, figures from Visit England show this younger generation still prefer to go abroad. The tourist board statistics showed that, while more and more of us like to holiday at home, the number of millennials choosing a staycation has dropped by 1.4 million over the past decade. As a result, only a quarter of those who took a home holiday last year was aged between 16 and 34.
Inside the award winning Bosinver Farm Cottages, Cornwall Wed, January 3, 2018 Bosinver Farm occupies a 30-acre farm and woodland site close to the sea near Saint Austell Play slideshow Bosinver 1 of 12 Exterior of the stunning Coliza cottage, perfect for couples
TOP 10 STAYCATION LOCATIONS 1. Cornwall 2. Devon 3. Bournemouth 4. London 5. Cotswolds
GETTY Bath's Roman architecture is a big draw