Holidays abroad may be becoming a thing of the past for many, with the majority of Brits now opting to take their breaks in the UK.
New research has found a huge increase in the numbers planning a ‘staycation’ this Easter, compared to last year.
And among those planning to holiday at home, most are heading to cheaper destinations.
What’s going on?
A survey of 2,000 adults found that half will be taking an Easter break, with four in five staying in Britain.
That’s twice as many as last year, suggesting that this trend may be here to stay for the foreseeable future.
A third of respondents said the rising cost of living was their chief motivation for staying in the UK, with international breaks now above their budget.
So, a nice city break or a trip to Blackpool?
Urban hoteliers and coastal resorts should refrain from rubbing their hands in glee. People taking part in the survey said they were more likely to head for the countryside and self-cater, as costs will be cheaper.
Trips to Butlins or a weekend in London don’t seem to be on the cards – more roughing it in a tent and taking long walks among nature. Fresh air is free, after all.
READ MORE: The most in-demand UK staycation spots
Others are planning to enjoy ‘multi-location’ breaks to maximise their funds and time off, spreading their spending around, rather than staying in one place. So it’ll be a case of loading up the car and touring the wilderness until funds run out for some.
But at least the tourism industry will benefit?
Undoubtedly. While people are looking for cheaper breaks, the sheer amount of them staying in the UK will swell coffers across the country.
Travelodge said its study suggested that Britons are expected to spend more than £17 billion holidaying at home this Easter – a welcome boost after the pandemic years, which saw the sector suffer badly.
But it’s not all good news – a separate study in January found that around half of people are planning to cut the cost of their holidays, while many say they will simply do without trips altogether this year.
READ MORE: Argyll and Bute to tackle AirBnB and short-term lets impact
Just over a third of holidaymakers plan to take steps to make their breaks less expensive, while a further 16% will go without taking holidays altogether, according to insurer Aviva.
Others plan to shorten the duration of their holidays (25%), eat away from tourist attractions (13%) and find a lesser-known destination (13%).
What are Travelodge saying?
Spokeswoman for the firm, Shakila Ahmed, said: “The rising cost of living is making budget-stretched Britons drive a trend for shorter and multi-location breaks this Easter, so that they can maximise their holiday time and enjoy different experiences.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here