Stat: UK holidaymakers embrace staycations amid climate concerns

UK – New research from market intelligence agency Mintel reveals that 56% of UK holidaymakers are prioritising staycations over trips abroad due to climate-related reasons. Almost three in 10 (28%) cite warmer UK weather as a driving factor, while 19% are deterred by extreme weather overseas such as heatwaves or floods.

Mintel also found that a preference for staycations is a positive Covid legacy, with almost half (47%) of the 2,000 British internet users aged 16 or over surveyed saying they have taken more staycations than trips abroad since the pandemic.

Despite foreign travel opening up since the pandemic, staycations look set to stay too. In 2023, 52% of Britons said they planned to holiday in the UK; in 2024, the number has risen to 55%.

In our How Climate Change is Re-routing Travel report, we examined how the travel sector must consider how best to equip itself to absorb the shock of shifting holiday patterns and changes in consumer travel behaviour. In Britain, this will translate to increased footfall in popular British holiday destinations such as Cornwall or Margate, and demand for further hospitality venues to host and entertain staycationers.