The long running bout of poor British weather is taking its toll on the ‘staycation’ with fewer people planning domestic breaks, new research shows.
More people this year (73%) say they will take a main holiday overseas, against 66% in 2012.
There is also a growing intention to book a holiday of seven nights or more – 95% in 2013 against 89% in 2012.
But the number planning a ‘staycation’ has dropped for the first time in four years.
After a dreary 2012, ‘the weather’ is the main reason for the UK being regarded as less appealing than a few years ago, research firm BDRC Continental’s annual Holiday Trends survey shows.
London is bucking the UK booking trend, boasting an increase in holidays already booked compared with the same period last year, partly due to the Olympics legacy.
Almost a third (31%) of those who were either considering London as a holiday destination or had already booked a trip to the capital cited last summer’s Games as having a positive influence on this decision.
Two fifths of the 1,000 people questioned said they use review sites for most or all of the holidays they take, rising to almost half (49%) among those with children.
Trust in review sites is strong, with more than half (52%) trusting the review to be an accurate overall reflection of the destination.
Evidence suggests that review writing is not generally dictated by the quality of the holiday experience, with propensity to write one similar regardless of whether the experience was positive or negative.
BDRC Continental director Steve Mills said: “Following several dire domestic summers for weather, it seems that we are finally beginning to see a softening of the staycation effect and stronger consideration of trips abroad.
“Our findings are supported by a strong start to the year for many outbound tour operators and travel agents.
“With the trend towards late bookings, the market is increasingly volatile, so it will be interesting to see how these trends pan out in the coming months and the impact that the weather and current weakening of sterling have on the market.”