No place like home: Staycations set to sizzle into 2022
Staycations are set to remain the holiday of choice for Brits seeking to avoid the hassle of Covid-19 regulations on international travel.
Data from Square indicates almost half of UK holidaymakers plan to continue staycations in the UK instead of travelling abroad until the pandemic is over, or at least until 2022.
Cornwall, the Lake District and Scotland may replace Spain and France as the UK’s top holiday destinations.
With Gen Z spending close to £500 on an average staycation, and millennials following close behind, the future looks bright for small businesses.
Cornwall is leading the pack as the UK’s most popular destination, with 24 percent of British holiday makers travelling there this summer.
Elisabeth Brown, who runs Teacup Tearoom in St Austell, Cornwall, said “If we look back 12 months ago from today, our business looked entirely different.”
Location, accommodation, and price are key factors in determining the popularity of staycation destinations. Cornwall boasts a large offering of beaches and seaside cafes, making it a popular choice as temperatures are set to soar across the country.
Scotland has attracted 16 per cent of British holidaymakers, the majority of whom visit Edinburgh. The Scottish capital is often more popular in August, with rare sunshine and the annual Fringe festival attracting national and international tourism.
Sam Alexander, the owner of Ilium cafe in Edinburgh, is optimistic about the coming months, despite seeing the number international customers fall by almost almost half during the pandemic.
“This weekend was the busiest I’ve seen, I think business will only get better as the weather improves and people come to Edinburgh for the Fringe” he told City PM.
Like many small business owners accommodating for the rise in staycationers, he does not plan to take any leave from work until the autumn.
Whether these trends will last beyond the pandemic is more dubitable. Yet as regulations and increased international travel expenses continue in the wake of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, staycation popularity shows no sign of decreasing.