Which Way to the Beach? Brits Continue to Gain Confidence in Domestic Travel

The latest domestic consumer research from VisitBritain/Visit England confirms that people are slowly starting to regain confidence in the idea of taking a domestic break.

A forecast for the summer months shows that outdoor areas and activities – including beaches, trails and theme parks – look set to attract higher-than-usual levels of visitors in traditional seaside towns and countryside destinations.

“Our weekly research shows that 31 percent of people surveyed – representing 16.7 million UK adults – either intend to or have already taken an overnight domestic trip between July and September,” explains Tracey Edginton of VisitBritain – and between October and December, that percentage jumps to 38.

Indeed, Brits have long loved exploring their own country – between July and September 2019, a Great Britain Tourism survey found that we took 22 million domestic overnight holidays as a nation, a number which was forecast to rise by 2.9 percent in 2020, but which was stopped in its tracks by Covid-19, and instead decreased by 49 percent.

To support Britain’s domestic tourism, on 25 June VisitBritain/VisitEngland launched the We’re Good To Go industry standard, in partnership with the tourism organisations of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, to encourage people to book a break in the UK with confidence. More than 35,000 tourism businesses across the UK have registered for the scheme.

“The industry has been working hard preparing to welcome visitors back safely, and we hope that people who perhaps haven’t holidayed at home before will try a domestic break, and some of us might explore somewhere new,” says VisitBritain/VisitEngland director Patricia Yates. “And with the certainty of budgeting for a holiday at home, along with the ease and convenience and the fantastic destinations and attractions within easy reach, Britain is a top holiday spot, whether for a mini-break or longer holiday.”