The traditional Bank Holiday weekend of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic, predicting the weather, listening to children constantly shouting “Are we there yet” whilst chomping through endless bags of sweets and having a sing-a-long is back this weekend. With 52% of locked up British adults taking to Britain’s open roads this weekend for their great escape, UK roads are set to be the busiest they have been for some time.
Routes to the seaside, major cities, the countryside, historical attractions and to the doors of our beloved family and friends will be the busiest. Bank Holiday travellers are planning to spend on average £370 on their Maycation. Collectively this spend will give the UK economy a boost of £1.3 billion. These findings have been revealed in a new survey issued today by Travelodge.
The hotel giant, whom operates over 580 Travelodge hotels across the length and breadth of the UK, surveyed 2,000 British adults to seek their plans for the first official Bank Holiday post lockdown. Key findings revealed that over a third (35%) of Britons feel that the UK needs to get back to normality and by them taking a short break over the May Bank holiday, this will act as a catalyst to kick start recovery and give British tourism a much need boost.
This May Bank Holiday, 36% of Britons are making the most of the nice weather that is predicated for this weekend and flocking to the seaside / coast for some sun, sand and sea. The top Bank Holiday weekend holiday hotspots include Brighton, Blackpool, Cornwall, Bournemouth and Bridlington.
One in three, (30%) of Bank Holiday holidaymakers are seeking culture, shopping and fine dining and are taking a cosmopolitan city break to discover one of the UK’s 69 great cities. The top city breaks for this May Bank Holiday weekend are: Birmingham, Bath, Aberdeen, London and Cardiff
Visiting family across the UK is a key activity this Bank Holiday with 28% of Britons taking a road trip to reconnect with their loved ones. Whilst one in ten Britons have organised a family get together in a central location so that they can pack in seeing lots of members of their family over the bank holiday weeken
However, 25% of holidaymakers are yearning to be one with nature and want to explore our glorious British countryside this May Bank Holiday. Top rural retreat destinations for this weekend include: Cotswolds, Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and the Scottish Highlands.
Detailed below are the top ten activities Britons are planning to do this Bank Holiday weekend:
1. Visiting the seaside
2. Taking a cosmopolitan city break
3. Visiting family
4. Taking a rural break in the Great British countryside
5. Taking a history or heritage trip
6. Meeting up with friends in central locations across the country
7. Going on a family road trip
8. Taking an activity/ adventure type holiday
9. Visiting a theme park
10. Taking an educational themed Minication to their child’s educatio
Detailed below is the roadmap of the UK’s busiest roads for this May Bank Holiday as these are the top 10 most popular locations that Britons are planning to visit this weeken
Rank | Seaside /coastal | City Break | Rural Retreat |
1 | Brighton | Birmingham | Cotswolds |
2 | Blackpool | Bath | Lake District |
3 | Cornwall | Aberdeen | Yorkshire Dales |
4 | Bournemouth | London | Peak District |
5 | Bridlington | Cardiff | Scottish Highlands |
6 | Devon | Cambridge | The Chilterns |
7 | Weymouth | Edinburgh | Eden Project |
8 | Whitby | York | North Wales |
9 | Southend-on-Sea | Liverpool | Leamington Spa |
10 | Isle of Wight | Manchester | South Wales |
Shakila Ahmed, Travelodge Spokeswoman said: “This May Bank Holiday is the start of the 2021 great escape for many Britons and the official launch of the UK hospitality holiday season. After being locked up at home for months, Britons are getting behind the wheel this weekend and hitting the roads in search of some much needed R&R. We should prepare for traffic jams as this May Bank Holiday is expected to be the busiest in years. Our 580 UK Travelodge hotels are all getting geared up to welcome customers from all corners of the country this weekend. Our hotels that are located in scenic locations and close to the sea, mountains or major attractions are selling like hot cakes this week.”
“To help Britons make the most of 2021 and discover what makes Britain so Great, we have released over 2 million rooms for £29 across all of our UK hotels. We even have over 25,000 of these £29 rooms available for this May Bank Holiday Weekend. For a family of four, a £29 Travelodge family room works out at just £7.25 per person which is cheaper than a portion of fish and chips. To book a great value £29 room visit: www.travelodge.co.uk.”
The report also revealed that a fifth (20%) of Britons is taking a road trip this Bank Holiday so that their pet dog can have a holiday after being locked up during the pandemic. The report also revealed that 34% of Britons are still too nervous to travel anywhere due to the implications of COVID-19 even though the Government has lifted the restrictions on UK based travel.
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For further information, please contact:
The Travelodge Press Office on: 01844 358 703