ANNUAL HOLIDAY STUDY PREDICTS BUMPER YEAR FOR SEASIDE LOCATIONS

This year is set to be a bumper one for the Great British seaside as over half (58%) of Britons will holiday or take a mini break to the coast this summer, says the annual Travelodgeholiday index. The report also shows that Britons will spend more than ever on their UK holidays this year – splashing out £729.80 on their breaks to give the UK economy a welcome boost of almost £20 billion.

The report, which has surveyed 3,000 British adults for the past six years, shows that 2016 is set to be the biggest year for a jaunt to the seaside since the study started.

Coastal locations dominate the list of most popular destinations, with Cornwall topping the Staycation charts for the second consecutive year, followed by Devon (3^rd), Blackpool (5^th), Brighton (8^th) and Scarborough (10^th).

The previous biggest year for visits to the seaside was 2015, when the figure was 56%. In 2013 just 31% visited a UK coastal location, showing how much the seaside has increased in popularity recently. (A full year-on-year comparison of key findings from 2011-2016 can be found in the notes to editors section).

The study also reveals that over two-thirds (67%) of Britons are taking a Staycation break this year. The average British family is taking a one-week holiday supported by four short breaks throughout 2016. A fifth (19%) of families are going all out and taking a ‘traditional’ two-week holiday.

This year British holidaymakers will be splashing out on average £729.80 on their UK break, the highest spend since the study began in 2011 and a 46% increase on last year when the average spend was £501.28.  This is also an 83% increase from the lowest total holiday spend in 2013, when it was just £399.28.  In total this means that Britons will spend almost £20 billion on UK holidays this year.

Over half (55%) of Britons stated that Staycation breaks provide great value which is why they are spending more this year, and 46% say their holiday is the one thing they refuse to cut back on.

The report has also highlighted that the UK’s top Staycationers are, for the second year running, in Wolverhampton, with 88% of people there taking a Staycation break and the average household spending £1,077.63. The other cities making up the top five are Bradford, Liverpool, Sheffield and Edinburgh.

The table below highlights the UK’s top Staycationers:

After the seaside holiday, the second most popular type of UK holiday at 38% for Britons is the city break with the top locations being: London (2^nd), Edinburgh (6^th), Manchester (12^th), York (13^th) and Liverpool (17^th).

Over a third (34%) of Britons will explore the UK’s stunning countryside. The most popular rural holiday hotspots for this year are: The Lake District (4^th), Yorkshire Dales (7^th), Scottish Highlands (9^th), Norfolk Broads (15^th) and The Cotswolds (19^th).

The table below details the top 20 Staycation destinations for 2016 as well as last year:

Further research findings revealed that four out of ten (40%) use their holidays as a means to explore the UK, by holidaying in multiple locations throughout the week. This helps them feel that they are taking lots of short breaks within one-week.

Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “Rooms across our 512 UK hotels are selling fast for this summer, especially at our coastal locations. We have become a nation of savvy value shoppers and we want our holiday to work hard for our pound. A new trend we are seeing is more Britons taking a three in one holiday. This includes taking a city, rural and coastal break as part of a one week holiday. You need to be clever to plan your route but it is easily achievable as Great Britain has so much to offer.

“It’s also great news that 2016 is going to be a bumper year for our traditional seaside resorts.  A jaunt to the seaside is going through a revival as parents yearn for their children to enjoy a traditional British seaside holiday.”

Respondents from the study also cited a sense of patriotism towards Great Britain as a holiday destination, with 80% stating that the UK is a perfect holiday destination. In addition a quarter (27%) reported that the Britain is more beautiful than any other destination in the world.

The 2016 holiday report also revealed that Britons consider value (40%) as the most important aspect when booking a holiday over doing the correct research (22%), reviews (11%) and images (11%).

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Notes to Editors:

For further information, please contact:

The Travelodge Press Office on: 01844 358 703

email: pressoffice@travelodge.co.uk

With 47 million adults in the UK, 67% of them spending on average £729.80 = £19.5bn boost to economy (up from £16.5bn last year)

The research was conducted among 3,000 adults by OnePoll in April 2016.

Staycation Results: 2011-2016