Park Holidays explored both the nation’s knowledge of UK geography, and their domestic travel plans for the year ahead. A third of those surveyed (31%) plan to do more domestic travelling in the new year.
Following a year of disrupted travel plans, 7.4 million Britons (11%) plan to travel exclusively within the UK next year, according to new research.
According to the latest study from UK holiday and holiday home specialists Park Holidays, a further third (31%) say they plan to do more domestic travelling in the next year – Covid-19 restrictions permitting.
As well as examining the nation’s travel plans for 2021, Park Holidays’ also tested their map reading skills and found despite 2020 being the year of the staycation, it seems the nation’s knowledge of UK landmarks and tourist hotspots still leaves a lot to be desired.
A mere 15% of Britons could confidently identify all major UK towns/cities and the top ten tourist landmarks on a map, without prompts.
Just over a third (35%) believe their knowledge of UK geography is good, while 50% said it was just ‘OK’ or ‘not good’. Men (41%) are more confident in their ability to identify UK cities and landmarks on a map than women (29%).
To test the nation further, Park Holidays has created a UK geography themed quiz – simply name the towns or cities represented by the pins on the map. So far, nobody has achieved full marks – even those with a Geography A-level.
According to data from Statista, the most visited UK city for Brits holidaying at home is London. Perhaps unsurprisingly, findings from Park Holidays’ research revealed that the most-visited UK landmarks over the course of a lifetime are also in London; Big Ben (64%), Tower Bridge (59%) and the Tower of London (56%).
Northern landmarks, Blackpool Tower (51%) and Edinburgh Castle (43%) make up the top five.
|
UK Landmark |
% of UK Adults Who Have Visited In Their Lifetime |
|
Big Ben |
64% |
|
Tower Bridge |
59% |
|
Tower of London |
56% |
|
Blackpool Tower |
51% |
|
Edinburgh Castle |
43% |
|
Blackpool Pleasure Beach |
41% |
|
The Lake District National Park |
40% |
|
Cliffs of Dover |
39% |
|
Stone Henge |
37% |
|
Brighton Palace Pier |
37% |
More residents from Belfast (83%), Bristol (67%), Cardiff (75%), Norwich (65%), Nottingham (57%) and Southampton (72%), have visited Big Ben, than the landmarks within their own cities.
In Glasgow, more residents (92%) have visited Edinburgh Castle, than those living within the Scottish capital itself (72%).
|
City |
Most Visited UK Landmark |
% of Residents Who Have Visited |
|
Belfast |
Big Ben |
83% |
|
Birmingham |
Warwick Castle |
57% |
|
Bristol |
Big Ben |
67% |
|
Cardiff |
Big Ben |
75% |
|
Edinburgh |
Edinburgh Castle |
72% |
|
Glasgow |
Edinburgh Castle |
92% |
|
Leeds |
York Minster |
81% |
|
Liverpool |
Blackpool Tower |
78% |
|
London |
Tower Bridge / Tower of London |
67% |
|
Manchester |
Blackpool Tower |
67% |
|
Newcastle |
Angel of the North |
73% |
|
Norwich |
Big Ben |
65% |
|
Nottingham |
Big Ben |
57% |
|
Sheffield |
Blackpool Tower / York Minster |
72% |
|
Southampton |
Big Ben |
72% |
Tony Clish, UK Director for Park Holidays, commented on the findings: “In spite of the uncertainty that 2020 has brought, it’s great to see the growing interest in domestic travel and that so many are making plans to visit more of the UK in to 2021.
“At Park Holidays, we have seen soaring numbers of bookings over the course of this year, and a huge peak in interest into the next year too. It is reassuring to know that there are so many out there looking to support UK tourism after a challenging season.
“Hopefully, the increase in those making domestic holiday bookings over the coming months will enable people to not only explore new locations on home soil, but to also brush up on their UK geography skills too!”
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.
