Summer trends: all about staycations

Capital cities London and Edinburgh top the list of global destinations that holidaymakers from the UK will visit this summer, with Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Birmingham all securing a spot in the top 15. The list shows a rise in the popularity of city breaks, and with only four of the destinations in the top 15 being found outside of Europe, people are still choosing to holiday close to home, even if outside the UK.

Top 15 travel destinations for Brits this summer:​

While Brits are looking to stay closer to home, they are not being as cautious with their money in their accommodation choices. TripAdvisor’s report also showed that 46 per cent of Brits are focusing on 4-star hotels and more than 20 per cent are going for 5-star properties.  

TripAdvisor spokesperson James Kay said: “2014 looks set to be the summer of the staycation as the research of our British TripAdvisor community shows. If they’re not staying in the UK, they’ll be staying pretty close at least, as six UK and five European destinations are placed in the top 15 most searched.”

UK sees fourth largest staycation growth in Europe​

TripAdvisor isn’t the only business that has recorded the rising popularity of staycations. New analysis released from MasterCard shows that more Brits are choosing to holiday in the UK than ever before.

Travel trends findings based on a Euromonitor survey suggest that in 2014 Europe as a whole will see a 114 per cent rise in staycations, which more than doubles the amount of people who chose to holiday in their own country in 2013. The UK also had the fourth largest growth in number of staycations in Europe in 2013, coming in just behind France, Spain and Germany.

However holidays abroad cannot be entirely written off, with the report also suggesting that international travel will also grow by a third in 2014. The number of short breaks taken is also expected to be on the rise, which supports the idea that the number of city breaks will grow further.

Optimistic outlook​

Data from MasterCard SpendingPulse tracked a 4.5 per cent increase in retail spend, including travel, in May. The hospitality industry has the potential to benefit from this more optimistic economic outlook. With consumer spending finally on the rise, people are expected to spend more on holidays too.

MasterCard Advisors’ group head and senior vice president Sarah Quinlan said: “The travel industry in the UK should be encouraged by the positive sales growth we are seeing this year. Our SpendingPulse data shows spending in the retail industry, including travel, is growing in strength in the UK.

 “What’s interesting with this travel trends report is that it suggests travel abroad and ‘staycations’ will see growth in 2014. As we head into the summer months and the economy continues to strengthen we would expect to see momentum build this year with consumers becoming confident enough to spend hard earned wages on summer holidays both at home in the UK and abroad.”