Britain will become a ‘staycation nation’ this year with more than half of people opting to take a domestic holiday this summer, new research reveals.
As many as 57% of people will be taking their annual summer holiday in the UK, a rise of 2% on last year, with the average domestic break being a week.
The average expected spend of £823 is up 37% from £599 last year.
This is the highest spend since Travelodge started its annual holiday index in 2011 when the average outlay was £399.28.
The UK economy will gain a boost of £31 billion by holidaying on British shores this summer, the budget chain calculates.
A quarter of Britons are taking more UK short breaks this year, with 85% taking on average three domestic holidays throughout 2018.
The average spend per trip is £387.80 which collectively equates to £65 billion.
The annual Travelodge holiday report, which surveys 3,000 adults, also reveals that more than a third (38%) of Britons want to holiday in the UK rather than Europe to support their economy.
More than half (55%) plan a beach holiday with Cornwall the top destinations for the fourth consecutive year, followed by Devon and Bournemouth.
The Lake District, Scottish Highlands and Cotswolds top the rural popularity charts while UK city breaks are the third most popular choice headed by Edinburgh and Bath.
An estimated 40% of British holidaymakers plansd to expand their holiday across two or three locations in a week.
A Travelodge spokeswoman said: “Our annual holiday index confirms that we have become a staycation nation.
“More Britons than ever are exploring what makes Great Britain so great which is great news for our economy.
“Also 2018 is a great year for UK tourism; we have a royal hat trick with a new baby, wedding and the Queen’s 65th Coronation.
“We are seeing more Britons booking three in one holidays. This includes taking a city, rural and coastal break as part of a one week holiday.”
The UK’s top staycationers are from Newcastle with 82% of saying they are taking a domestic break this summer with an average spend of £762.44.
Wolverhampton residents take second place with 77% spending £788 on their UK summer break followed by 76% of Liverpudlians spending on average £765.85 on their main summer holiday in the UK.
Three quarters of people from Birmingham are opting to holiday at home this year with the lowest average spend of £408.83, according to the study.