While lots of us are looking ahead to our summer holiday abroad, we are also enjoying what the UK has to offer too. Before the recent – and extremely sunny – Easter weekend, VisitEngland’s ‘Trip Tracker’ survey revealed that 7.4 million Brits were planning an overnight holiday trip in the UK over that period – bringing an estimated £1.8 billion boost to the economy. In the event, the warm weather probably saw even more people packing their bags.
These figures were the highest since this survey began in 2013. Last year, 2018, 4.8 million Brits planned to take an overnight holiday trip during Easter, in 2017 the figure was 6.6 million, in 2016 it was 6.1 million and in 2015 it was 4.6 million.
“The UK has world-class cities, stunning landscapes, fascinating museums and historic sites that millions of people flock to each year,” said Michael Ellis, Tourism Minister. “It is great to see that so many people planned a staycation this Easter, where they will enjoy and explore superb destinations across the country.”
VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates added: “Holidaying at home continues to be a great choice with the certainty of budgeting, the ease and convenience, and the quality on offer all tempting people to explore beyond their doorstep.”
Our client, Premier Inn, recently unveiled a survey which reported that 80 per cent of us want to explore more of the UK. The hotel chain asked 3,000 UK adults to take part in the poll, which also revealed that a third felt as though they’re ‘not making the most of what the UK has to offer’.
Unsurprisingly, London was voted as the UK’s favourite getaway location, with 86% of adults escaping to the capital for a short break in their lifetime. There’s so much to do in London. According to figures from the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), all the attractions in the top ten are London-based – with Tate Modern currently topping the list, followed by the British Museum and the National Gallery.
Premier Inn went on to highlight that there are plenty of places further afield that the majority of people in the UK have yet to discover. Of those who took part in our survey, 67% have yet to enjoy a cruise on Windermere, 54% haven’t admired Stonehenge and 83% still need to tick Titanic Belfast off their must-see list.
Over half have yet to visit Liverpool or Bath, and just over 40% still need to explore Blackpool, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
Beatrice Vears from Premier Inn said: “It’s great news that the vast majority of us recognise the wealth of wonderful attractions and beautiful locations the UK has to offer. It doesn’t take much to put together a memorable short break in the UK. All you need is a desire to explore and a comfortable, great value place to stay – the country does the rest!”
PSE Associates provides traditional professional Quantity Surveying and Project Management services to many brand leaders in the leisure, retail and commercial sectors.