With Brits free to enjoy their first summer without Covid-19 travel restrictions, new research has revealed that over a quarter (28%) of Brits are still choosing to travel within the UK to support economic recovery post-pandemic, and almost half (47%) are more likely to holiday domestically because of the cost-of-living crisis.
The research highlights how current economic circumstances and the knock-on effects of the pandemic have significantly impacted Brits’ travel habits, with over two-thirds (69%) of people saying their travel habits have changed post-Covid. Of those, 30% said the pandemic has made them less likely to go abroad due to uncertainties, travel delays, and extra documentation needed to travel.
The cost-of-living crisis is understandably cited as a major factor in Brits’ holiday plans this summer, with almost half (47%) saying they are more likely to holiday domestically and 15% stating they will not travel at all due to the current economic situation. Given that value for money is the most important factor for more than half of people (56%) when planning a holiday, it’s clear why more and more Brits are favouring ‘Stay-AGAIN-cations’ instead of venturing abroad.
The research also reveals that Brits are creatures of habit when holidaying in the UK, with over 9 in 10 (91%) visiting the same places time and time again, and fewer than 1 in 10 (9%) finding new destinations to explore.
Driven by a fear of the unknown and the impact of Covid, the top motives for sticking to the same destinations include comfort and familiarity (57%); visiting friends or family (34%); and wanting to avoid bad surprises when visiting somewhere new (30%).
Interestingly, 1 in 10 Brits chooses holiday destinations based on the photo opportunities to share on Instagram, with this statistic rising to almost 1 in 5 (18%) for under 25s.
The research was conducted by CensusWide on behalf of Great Western Railway.
Discussing the findings, Dan Panes, Head of Communications at Great Western Railway, comments: “With summer holidays underway, we wanted to understand how people’s travel habits have been affected by the pandemic and the extra cost-of-living.
“We found that the current economic circumstances have significantly impacted Brits’ travel habits, with a big proportion choosing to book holidays domestically this year, despite travel restrictions being removed.
We were also surprised to find that so many people return to the same places time and time again, especially when there are so many fantastic destinations across the UK to choose from. Rather than ‘wanderlust’, people actually ‘wanderless’.”
The train operator is urging people to be more adventurous when booking trips in the UK and discover all the wonderful places on their doorstep. From a romantic weekend in the Cotswolds to a cultural trip to Bath or a beach break in Devon, the UK has many great places to offer, all reachable by train.
There are also plenty of group and family discounts available to help counter rising costs of living, which can make travel more affordable and accessible.
