UK staycations are all booked, would-be travellers say

A new study by Saga has revealed that more than a third of Britons (36 per cent) have been unable to book a staycation in the UK this summer, TTG reported on Thursday.

The research, conducted by Perspectus Global in August 2021, found that the average UK resident has spent around five hours searching for staycation deals and offers, the report showed.

And that three in 10 (31 per cent) are resigned to spending the rest of the summer holiday period at home.

Around 29 per cent of respondents who’d tried to book a domestic break said that all available self-catering properties, hotels and B&Bs were “far too expensive” for their budget.

Nearly 30 per cent of the people polled said they wished they’d booked a UK break in advance, but “uncertainty” over Covid restrictions had made them wait.

And 69 per cent would “jump at the chance” to get away this August, if the possibility arose.

Nick Stace, chief executive of Saga Travel, told TTG that “it’s been a “confusing time for people wanting to get away this August, and the research shows that people feel they’ve “missed out on their summer holidays.”.

“In an effort to help get as many people away as possible, we’ve introduced a range of round-Britain ’seacation’ cruises this month that will take in some beautiful parts of the UK including the west coast and Wales, Cornwall and the Dorset coast and the Scottish Highlands and Islands,” he added.

UK travellers’ interest in staycations has skyrocketed, according to a study by Parkdean Resorts.
Search terms for UK holiday terms have increased hugely during lockdown, with the term ‘travel UK’ seeing a massive 103 per cent increase in volume compared to the same time last year. The term ‘staycation’ also saw a boost as people explored their options for making the most of the summer.