Research has shown that the UK Staycation market is set to boom by billions once Covid-19 once lockdowns are lifted and the spread of the virus is managed. The prediction in the summer was once lockdowns were lifted 55% of UK holidaymakers planned to make the most of their holidays but by getting away to sunnier parts of the UK and the estimate spend was over £8billion in the process.
Changes in the news saw changes in public attitude, it soon became apparent how the public mood was impacted by by the changing Coronavirus news. Back in May when Boris announced plans to lockdown we saw 50% increase in searches through holiday booking websites.
Holidaying abroad has taken a huge hit, with the industry set to lose out on £10.4 billion as a result of Covid-19. The estimated employment loss is also predicted to breach £100 million, with huge redundancies being made to attempt to fill the financial gap.
Compared to before lockdown, the number of people searching for general travel decreased by 33%. Airline searches didn’t fair much better, seeing a 16% decline, while searches for travel abroad has taken a -56% massive hit.
Searches for hospitality were also down by 62.59% while hotels were down by 65% and car rentals a loss of 70%.
20% of people have cancelled their holidays while 35% are delaying anything booking anything until the pandemic is under control.
The contrast between last year is stark, when happier times saw over 2.2 million searches for holiday topics compared to only 1.7 million for the same period this year.
Searches for holiday terms rocketed during lockdown, with” travel UK” seeing 103% increase in volume compared to the same time last year. The term “staycation” also saw a boost as people explored options for making the most of the summer.
According to many surveys, peoples faith in being able to go on a UK holiday next year is high with 76% of people saying that they believe a staycation is more likely to go ahead than a holiday abroad.
38% of people said they would choose to stay in the UK because it would mean that they didn’t have to self isolate upon returning home, while 29% said they would holiday at home to help boost the economy.
Staying close to home is looking like the new getting away, and certain locations are appearing more popular than ever. Cornwall and Devon, Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex have seen a significant boom in bookings.
When it comes to what holiday makers want from accommodation after Covid-19, 39% of people said cleanliness would be top of their considerations. Free cancellations were also important with people not wanting to be stuck with paying for a holiday that could be postponed.
Accommodation that has private facilities are the most popular, eliminating the need to share communal areas for anything like eating, booking in or checking out.
61% of people were looking to holiday with their loved one, and 53% say that the holiday would be with their young children and 21% planning a “mates break”
A holiday is clearly where the heart is.
When it comes to the types of holiday people are looking for, staycations are the only one to see a national rise, with 23% increase in searches this spring. Caravan holidays, lodges holidays, glamping and camping all look set to prosper. People aren’t taking any chances with holidaying abroad, but they are looking to the UK to provide them with their annual time away.
Staycations may be the only form of holiday available to us is 2021. We expect to see a big upturn in the staycation market during 2021.
The UK is a beautiful island, with all the restrictions connected to travel abroad, lets support our own economy and tourism by making the most of the stunning locations and sites that are available and give ourselves the chance to get back to nature, spend time with our families and friends and eliminate the stress of travelling abroad.
