Consumers are increasingly invested in leading more sustainable lives today, making all sorts of changes to their lifestyles. From personal hygiene to their wardrobe choices, it seems travel choices are drastically changing too with searches for ’green holiday’ increasing by 47% between Oct 2018 – Oct 2019.
With a small number of sustainably built cabin holiday locations across Great Britain, Forest Holidays have collated insights on the UK’s changing travel trends, highlighting why staycations will continue to increase in popularity.
One of the latest travel trends to arise from the heightened focus on a more sustainable future is the ‘staycation’. Last year the term saw a 71% increase in searches in the UK with the trend set to grow in popularity as more domestic holidaymakers plan their holidays on British soil and home-ground vacations are forecast to contribute £27bn to the UK economy in 2020.
The staycation has become less of a concept and more front of mind for millennials in particular, as 52% plan to increase their UK-based holiday time.
Younger generations are more conscious both from an ecological and sociological perspective. In fact, 86% of global travellers say they’d be willing to offset the environmental impact of their holiday by doing things such as cleaning up litter, much like Australia’s recent visa extension incentive for those who volunteer to help with the bushfire affected areas.
Alongside the smaller carbon footprint and lower cost, there are a multitude of reasons why Brits are opting for a staycation rather than going abroad for their holidays. A recent poll of 25-34 year olds has revealed convenience as the top ranking reason (34%), followed by revisitng previous destinations (21%), affordability (19%) and Brexit impact concerns (18%).
THE UK IS STILL GREEN AT HEART
Although we can often overlook this fact, a large chunk of the UK remains natural, i.e. moors, forests, lakes, grasslands. Scotland takes top position for having the largest area covered by natural landscape (71%), followed by Wales (35%), Ireland (23%) and England (15%).
Countryside trips and city breaks share the top spot as the most popular holiday destination, with each favoured by 4 in 10 staycationers, with 1 in 5 people enjoy visiting the countryside the most.
LONG WEEKENDS CAN HELP MAKE THE MOST OF ANNUAL LEAVE
2 in 5 employees only used half of their allocated holiday leave last year, due to the fear of falling behind at work or the guilt of handing over work to colleagues. Staycation can enable you to take time out with loved ones while also taking a break from work. Strategically booking annual leave can help maximise annual leave creating an opportunity for multiple mini-breaks and micro trips on weekends and bank holidays.
MORE FOCUS ON EXPERIENCE TRIPS
Today’s travellers are looking for more than just value for money when planning holidays, with 60% of travellers stating experiences are more valuable to them than material possessions. This includes holidays that helps them relive their childhood or boost adrenaline.
HOLIDAYS IN THE UK CAN BE MORE AFFORDABLE
Brexit uncertainty has had a massive impact on the value of the pound when converting into overseas currency, with 65% worried that the fall in value will drive up prices overseas.
With areas of such, Forest of Dean, Snowdonia, Loch Ness and the Lake District, over a third of Brits are exclusively looking to take trips around the UK instead of going abroad.
