Summer of staycation holidays could boost tourism spend to the tune of £3.6bn
The latest research by Butter, the UK’s only Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) travel agency, has found that an estimated 15 million more of us are set to spend our holidays in the UK due to travel uncertainty, bringing a considerable boost to the tourism industry in England.
Butter analysed data on the average number of domestic holidays taken across England prior to the pandemic (2017-2019) and found that on average, an already impressive 46.3 million trips were taken even before travel restrictions were implemented.
As a result, staycations in England were already contributing a notable £11 billion per year on average to the tourism industry and local economies.
However, with many of us now opting for a staycation to avoid the widespread uncertainty that continues to plague the foreign travel industry, this sum looks set to climb even further.
It’s estimated that Covid has led to a 33% uplift in domestic holiday bookings which means that nearly 15.3 million more of us will be heading off on a staycation this year.
As a result, the domestic tourism industry could benefit from an additional £3.6 billion in holiday spend that might otherwise have been splurged across foreign holiday hotspots.
Cornwall has long been established as the go-to destination for a domestic seaside retreat and prior to the pandemic, 3 million trips were taken there with an average annual holiday spend of £942 million.
However, a Covid inspired boost could see an additional 1 million trips taken to the area boosting the tourism sector by an additional £311 million.
South Lakeland and Scarborough could also see nearly 400,000 more staycation trips this year boosting tourism spend by £102 million and £79.2 million respectively.
Timothy Davis, Co-Founder and CEO of Butter, commented:
“The pandemic has proved incredibly problematic for the tourism and hospitality sectors. The ongoing uncertainty around foreign travel, as well as the four week delay to the end of lockdown restrictions, have only added to these woes.
The one positive to be taken from this is the considerable boost received by the domestic tourism market, with staycations now the holiday of choice for the second year in a row. With more of us opting to head to places like Cornwall, Scarborough and Great Yarmouth, there should be a substantial boost to domestic spending this year, which will come as a relief to the many local communities who rely so heavily on tourism.
|
Location |
Holiday trips ave per year 2017-19 |
Holiday spend ave per year 2017-19 |
Holiday trips ave per year 2020-21 |
Staycation Increase (@33%) |
Holiday spend ave per year 2020-21 |
Staycation Increase (@33%) |
|
England |
46,294,000 |
£11,035,000,000 |
61,571,020 |
15,277,020 |
£14,676,550,000 |
£3,641,550,000 |
|
Cornwall |
3,040,000 |
£942,000,000 |
4,043,200 |
1,003,200 |
£1,252,860,000 |
£310,860,000 |
|
South Lakeland |
1,201,000 |
£309,000,000 |
1,597,330 |
396,330 |
£410,970,000 |
£101,970,000 |
|
Scarborough |
1,121,000 |
£240,000,000 |
1,490,930 |
369,930 |
£319,200,000 |
£79,200,000 |
|
East Lindsey |
1,047,000 |
£191,000,000 |
1,392,510 |
345,510 |
£254,030,000 |
£63,030,000 |
|
Blackpool |
978,000 |
£228,000,000 |
1,300,740 |
322,740 |
£303,240,000 |
£75,240,000 |
|
North Devon |
611,000 |
£162,000,000 |
812,630 |
201,630 |
£215,460,000 |
£53,460,000 |
|
Isle of Wight |
608,000 |
£172,000,000 |
808,640 |
200,640 |
£228,760,000 |
£56,760,000 |
|
Torbay |
596,000 |
£170,000,000 |
792,680 |
196,680 |
£226,100,000 |
£56,100,000 |
|
North Norfolk |
558,000 |
£159,000,000 |
742,140 |
184,140 |
£211,470,000 |
£52,470,000 |
|
Brighton and Hove |
552,000 |
£119,000,000 |
734,160 |
182,160 |
£158,270,000 |
£39,270,000 |
|
South Hams |
519,000 |
£152,000,000 |
690,270 |
171,270 |
£202,160,000 |
£50,160,000 |
|
Bournemouth |
484,000 |
£114,000,000 |
643,720 |
159,720 |
£151,620,000 |
£37,620,000 |
|
East Devon |
483,000 |
£111,000,000 |
642,390 |
159,390 |
£147,630,000 |
£36,630,000 |
|
Great Yarmouth |
464,000 |
£116,000,000 |
617,120 |
153,120 |
£154,280,000 |
£38,280,000 |
|
Weymouth and Portland |
433,000 |
£89,000,000 |
575,890 |
142,890 |
£118,370,000 |
£29,370,000 |
- Data on holiday spends and visits sourced from Visit Britain
- Staycayion bookings increases sourced from SnapTrip
See also Looking for the best staycation spot for a culture break, nature getaway or road trip?
