The Great British Holiday Boom!
2nd November 2019
With more and more families looking to holiday in the UK, there’s never been a better time to take your marketing efforts to the next level.
According to a report from Barclays Bank, a third of UK holiday makers plan to take more domestic holidays with the biggest increase coming from the 25-34 age group who are looking to spend 52% more time on UK holidays.
Whilst overseas tourism will always be attractive, there are several reasons that UK consumers are choosing to explore our fabulous home nations.
To name a few, these include;
- A desire to improve carbon footprint by decreasing air travel
- The decrease in the value of the pound compared to foreign currencies
- The improvement of UK tourism destinations
- The desire to replicate past UK holiday experiences
What is great news for leisure businesses is that holiday makers are not choosing the UK because they cannot afford overseas holidays, they are actively choosing the UK as their destination of choice.
What kind of leisure and tourism experiences are consumers choosing?
When it comes to types of holiday, visitors are choosing both cultural city breaks and escapes to the countryside. The Barclays survey showed that 40% would prefer to choose a city break and 37% would prefer a rural retreat.
Within these rural locations, one of the fastest-growing markets is holiday parks which is one of the Leisure Marketing People’s key areas of expertise.
How do British holiday makers characterise their holidays?
Main holiday 21%
Main holiday & short break 21%
Short break in addition to main international holiday 51%
Not sure 7%
In terms of region, the South West of the UK has proved to be the most popular with our home region of Yorkshire and the Humber coming in at number four.
The top 5 destinations in the UK by region
- South West 30%
- Scotland 22%
- Wales 20%
- Yorkshire and Humber 20%
- London 18%
What does this mean for UK leisure businesses?
This newfound willingness to choose the UK as a tourism destination can only be a good thing for companies in the leisure industry. With the sector expanding there are lots of opportunities for all leisure businesses to increase their slice of the increasing UK tourism sector.
However, this report also points out that consumers now expect a higher quality offer. Investing in the quality of your marketing is a great way to convey this. Using the latest marketing techniques and the most up to date market knowledge, our team of experts are always on hand to help you take your business to the next level.
