Press release -
Staycations on the cards for Brits this summer
Summer is officially here and that means one thing – holiday season. With this in mind, TripAdvisor can today reveal travel trends that have emerged for Brits during the peak summer travel period, based on TripAdvisor searches.
The results show that the staycation is on trend for Brits this summer with six British destinations in the top 15 global list. London and Edinburgh top the list in first and second place respectively, while UK cities Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool and Birmingham also feature in the top 15. And it seems that city breaks in general are proving a hit for British travellers as eleven of the top 15 are revealed to be city destinations.
Staying close to home is big on the agenda for UK travellers this summer as the top 15 is dominated by European destinations. Only four destinations in the hot list this year are located outside of the continent – Sharm El Sheikh, New York City, Orlando and Dubai.
For those planning to venture out of the UK, Sharm El Sheikh is the most popular holiday destination in third place, followed by New York City in fourth.
Trending destinations:
Ranking Top 10 Destinations
- London, United Kingdom
- Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
- New York City, United States
- Manchester, United Kingdom
- Paris, France
- Orlando, United States
- Benidorm, Spain
- Glasgow, United Kingdom
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Barcelona, Spain
- Liverpool, United Kingdom
- Rome, Italy
- Birmingham, United Kingdom
- Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Accommodation of choice:
Brits are setting their sights high as it is revealed that more than 46% of travellers are focusing on 4-star hotels and over 20% opting for the ultimate in luxury and going for 5-star properties in their planning and research. Of the travellers with a more modest budget in mind 27% are focused on 3-star properties and on the lower end of the scale only 5% are interested in 2-stars and a meagre 1% on 1-star hotels.
On the itinerary:
For those all-important plans on the ground at the holiday destination of choice, the research results show that of the categories listed under the attractions tab on TripAdvisor, the five most popular activities for British travellers are:
- Outdoor
- Cultural
- Amusement
- Museums
- Landmarks
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.
“For those planning a trip to these or others destinations around the world, visit the TripAdvisor destination pages (for example TripAdvisor London) for a wealth of information to help plan your trip from what to stay, where to eat and what to do for fun,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay.
VisitScotland Chief Executive Malcolm Roughead said:
“To have both Edinburgh and Glasgow featured in the top 10 destinations for British travellers this summer is wonderful news. In terms of value and volume of visitors, the UK remains our biggest market and one which we are always striving to build on.
“Both Edinburgh and Glasgow – which appear second and ninth respectively - offer a multitude of fantastic attractions and experiences for visitors. With such an exciting summer ahead, including the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the ever-popular Edinburgh Festival, it comes as no surprise that UK visitors would want to visit these incredible destinations.
“As Scotland welcomes the world in 2014 with over 850 Homecoming events, the upcoming Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup, I would encourage everyone to head out and explore the wide range of first-class attractions that can be found right on our doorstep.”
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- uk & ireland marketing
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors:
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- 2014 is the year Scotland welcomes the world, when it hosts the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and more than 800 Homecoming events throughout the country.For more information on Homecoming Scotland 2014, go to www.visitscotland.com
- The VisitScotland Information Centre network is a unique face-to-face channel engaging with around five million visitors and locals each year. Everyone who uses a VisitScotland Information Centre goes on to spend an additional £5.35, generating over £24 million for Scotland’s economy.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, tourism employs 270,000 people in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the industry contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
- For information about business tourism in Scotland go to www.conventionscotland.com
-
For more information on VisitScotland’s annual review please go to www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_focus/annual_report.aspx
