VisitEngland: Staycation trend remains buoyant

Eighty-three per cent of holidaymakers reported an ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’ overall experience, while half of the population expect to take more domestic holiday in the future than they have done previously.

James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, said: “The 2009 staycation showcased England to a wide range of people who may not have otherwise chosen it as a holiday destination. Although numbers are not quite at the unprecedented levels of 2009, people are obviously still very keen to holiday at home, and take great pleasure in exploring new places as well as revisiting well-loved ones.

“It is vital that we continue to work hard to keep this trend buoyant, and take full advantage of England being placed firmly centre on the world stage in 2012.”

Patriarchy ​

While financial concerns are still a significant reason for choosing to take a holiday in England over one abroad, there are many other positive motivating factors driving the trend - the foremost being the desire to discover new places. Half of respondents claimed that a domestic break made them feel ‘proud of what England has to offer’.

The Staycation Tracker has been commissioned regularly by VisitEngland since the phenomenon first emerged in 2009 - a bumper year for domestic holidays. Over 1000 adults aged 18+ were interviewed online during September about their attitudes to the economic downturn, their holiday behaviour in 2011 and their plans for 2012 and the London Olympics.