More British holidaymakers are opting to take domestic breaks this summer instead of travelling abroad, new research claims.
The increasing trend for staycations comes amid Brexit uncertainty along with hopes for a repeat of last summer’s record-breaking heatwave.
UK holiday searches and bookings are up by a third on this time last year together with increased UK hotel reservations, according to a study by travel industry digital marketing specialist Sojern.
It suggests that higher inflation coupled with weaker earnings could leave British travellers more cautious around their disposable income – which could explain the increase in people opting to holiday at home this summer.
Figures from the Office of National Statistics earlier in March showed that UK inflation is rising again after five months of decline.
Economists predict inflation could rise above the Bank of England’s 2% target this year and even further in 2020.
Inflation could spike significantly higher if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, mainly due to a likely marked fall in sterling.
Although wages continue to grow above inflation, average earnings growth dipped to 3.4% in January from 3.5% the previous month.
Sojern Europe general manager Matthieu Betton said: “We are already seeing a rising trend of British holidaymakers opting to have a staycation in the UK this summer with a 33% year-over-year increase in searches and bookings for trips within the UK between June and September.
“Additionally, there is a 13% increase in British holidaymakers booking UK hotels this summer compared to last year.
“This trend is currently based on early bookers and as we get closer to the summer holiday period we will be able to observe whether or not last-minute British holidaymakers cause a surge in this staycation trend.”
