VisitEngland’s ‘Trip Tracker’ was off the charts (sort of) this Easter, as a reported 7.4 million Brits planned an overnight stay in the UK over Easter, up from 4.8 million the year before. That’s an increase of 2.6 million in just one year!
14% of adults in Britain took a holiday in the UK over Easter –which brought a £1.8 billion boost to the economy. Perhaps this increase in UK staycations was due to the uncertainty of Brexit looming over the Easter holiday, which has now been delayed until 31st October 2019.
A quarter of adults in Britain, when surveyed before Easter, expressed they would ‘definitely’ take an overnight break over the Easter bank holiday weekend, whereas 15% were undecided about taking a trip.
Nearly a third of those undecided, in classic British style, wanted to wait and see what the weather was like . We reckon that the glorious sunshine was enough to convince a lot of the undecided to take a break.
Tourism Minister, Michael Ellis, said about the statistics that:
“The UK has world-class cities, stunning landscapes, fascinating museums and historic sites that millions of people flock to each year. It is great to see that so many people are planning a staycation this Easter where they will enjoy and explore superb destinations across the country.”
In 2018, Brits took 57.9 million staycations, spending £14.3 billion. Tourism is worth £127 billion to the UK’s annual economy and independent accommodation providers are a big part of that.
VisitEngland Director, Patricia Yates, commented on the bumper spike in domestic holidaymakers:
“It is great to see so many Brits are planning holidays at home in the UK in what is set to be a cracking Easter, bringing a boost for businesses and local economies as the summer season gets underway.
“Right across the country visitors will find experiences to enjoy no matter what the weather. Holidaying at home continues to be a great choice with the certainty of budgeting, the ease and convenience, and the quality on offer all tempting people to explore beyond their doorstep.”
Off the back of these VisitEngland statistics, we looked at our booking data from bookings made through our hotel booking software to investigate forward bookings for both our French and British customers. The findings also show a year on year drop by 14.9% in Brits booking holidays in France during July and August 2019, alongside a 2.8% increase in UK customers booking UK properties for the same period.
This surge in UK breaks is reassuring for B&Bs and independent hotels across the country, especially in the lead up to summer. We hope this is a sign of a bumper season for all of the UK’s accommodation providers.