Search terms for UK holiday terms have increased hugely during lockdown, with the term ‘travel UK’ seeing a massive 103% increase in volume compared to the same time last year.
Parkdean Resorts has released a brand new study revealing the top UK destinations people are looking to visit once lockdown eases.
While in lockdown, many people had to give up international travel plans in favour of staying home to avoid spreading the virus. Now, with lockdown beginning to lift and hotels and holiday parks due to start reopening on July 4th, staycations are more popular than ever.
The study reveals:
- Which UK destinations will be most popular
- The types of holidays Brits are interested in
- What Britons are looking for in their next staycation
- When they’re looking to travel
The survey conducted by Perspectus Global for Parkdean Resorts asked 2,019 Brits across the country about the effect Coronavirus has had on their holiday plans.
Britain’s interest in staycations has skyrocketed
Search terms for UK holiday terms have increased hugely during lockdown, with the term ‘travel UK’ seeing a massive 103% increase in volume compared to the same time last year. The term ‘staycation’ also saw a boost as people explored their options for making the most of the summer.
66% of the respondents to the survey said that they’re interested in booking a holiday in the UK this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic, with 44% citing their reason being that ‘a UK break feels more likely to go ahead than an international holiday’.
The term ‘visit Britain’ is down by 18% indicating that international travellers are not as interested in visiting the UK as an option when booking their holidays.
Cornwall is the most popular destination
With only staycations on the cards for now, searches for UK destinations have boomed throughout lockdown. The survey revealed that 20% of people said they would be going to Cornwall, while 14% said they would be visiting Devon to benefit from the sandy shores of south west England.
Parkdean Resorts has seen a staggering 86% increase in bookings compared to the same time last year, while the Isle of Wight, Cornwall, Kent and Sussex have also seen a significant boom in bookings as excitement for sunshine soars.
| Top UK Destination | ||
| 1. | Cornwall | 20% |
| 2. | Devon | 14% |
| 3. | Dorset | 6% |
| 4. | Norfolk | 5% |
| 5. | Lincolnshire | 5% |
Beach holidays wanted over city breaks
Although Brits are expecting to spend their holidays in the UK, there are plenty of types of holidays for them to enjoy from glamping in the countryside to visiting other cities.
The study reveals that Brits are planning on taking a beach holiday in the near future, lining up with the most popular destinations, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. As Brits won’t be able to enjoy international holidays to tropical destinations anytime soon it's clear that they’re looking for warm sands and crystal blue seas closer to home.
Another popular choice was visiting family and friends, something Brits have been dying to do since lockdown began.
| Top Holiday Type | ||
| 1. | Beach | 51% |
| 2. | Visiting family/friends | 26% |
| 3. | City Breaks | 26% |
| 4. | Sightseeing | 23% |
| 5. | Resort based | 11% |
Britons want to spend less on holidays this year
While Coronavirus has changed the way we’ll travel it has also affected our spending. Before the pandemic, 19% of people had planned on spending between £1,000 and £1,999 and 9% planning to spend a whopping £2,000 to £2,999 on their holiday.
However, once the news of the pandemic broke this dramatically decreased. Now, only 14% of Brits plan on spending £1,000 to £1,999, a drop of 5%. Even shocking still, 16% of people said that they would only spend under £100 on a holiday after hearing the news, possibly choosing not to holiday at all, keeping their leisure spending to a minimum or finding that a staycation costs dramatically less.
| Before Corona | After Corona | ||||
| 1. | £1000 – £1999 | 19% | 1. | < £100 | 16% |
| 2. | £2000 – £2999 | 9% | 2. | £1000 – £1999 | 14% |
| 3. | £500 – £599 | 9% | 3. | £300 – £399 | 9% |
| 4. | £300 – £399 | 8% | 4. | £500 – £599 | 9% |
| 5. | £4000+ | 7% | 5. | £400 – £499 | 8% |
Parkdean Resorts’ expert opinion
Catherine Lynn, Chief Customer Officer at Parkdean Resorts, said: “Obviously the COVID-19 pandemic has really affected the way we holiday in 2020, with hundreds of thousands of would-be holidaymakers being stuck at home. However, these stats give us cause to be optimistic.
“We expect to see a big upturn in the staycation market towards the end of this summer, with even greater numbers appearing in summer 2021 as people look to make up for lost time.
“We’re doing all we can to ensure Parkdean sites are safe and clean, and as soon as we’re advised it’s safe to do so, we’ll be opening our doors and giving UK holidaymakers a fantastic experience to hopefully help them end this summer on a high.”
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
