Coronavirus: UK households expected to spend £960 on local holiday breaks
With hotels, pubs and restaurants set to reopen from 4 July, two in three Brits are keen to book a staycation as soon as they can.
A survey of 2,001 UK adults by job board Caterer.com found over a third (36%) of Brits are planning to “holiday at home” this year, with most households set to spend about £960 on domestic trips.
Although Brits are keen to salvage their holidays, over half (53%) said they would not book a “staycation” unless restaurants, pubs and bars were open in the area.
In the current climate, two in five (38%) holidaymakers will be looking for more secluded locations, such as Cornwall (16%), the Scottish Highlands and the Lake District (14%), Wales (13%), Devon (12%).
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However, the capital remains popular, with 14% of Brits planning to visit London over the summer.
Other popular locations include old favourites Blackpool (6%) and Bournemouth (6%).
“The industry has been adapting rapidly to not only comply with government regulations, but also align with changing customer expectations and needs,” said Neil Pattison, director at Caterer.
“Our research demonstrates just how valuable hospitality businesses are to consumers, with the majority of people saying that their decision on whether to book a staycation relies heavily on restaurants, pubs and bars being open.
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“The industry is looking forward to welcoming back loyal customers to help kickstart the economy.”
As hospitality businesses around the UK strive to recover from forced closures, they are also working hard to respond to changing customer preferences by training up staff and adapting offerings.
Over a quarter of people (29%) are more likely to consider using room service to avoid contact with others, and a third of customers expect to be able to find readily-available hygiene protocol online before booking.
In order for people to feel safe while travelling, customers would like to see hotels, restaurants and pubs up-skill staff, increasing training in hygiene (54%) as well as limiting the number of guests (49%) and providing PPE for all workers (38%).
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In an effort to help the domestic tourism and hospitality industries that have missed out on the May bank holidays this year, reports suggest the government is considering introducing an extra day of holiday in October.
Over half (52%) of Brits said they are in favour of this, and two in five (39%) said if it is to go ahead, they will likely plan a staycation for the long weekend.
