UK holiday parks and campsites could be set for a bumper 2016 season as millions of people shun foreign holidays, opting instead for a ‘staycation’, new figures show.
According to the Telegraph, tourism boards across the UK showed a huge rise in the number of enquiries in the first half of the year. A record breaking 7.3 million people chose to holiday in England in the first quarter of this year – a 10 per cent jump on the same period in 2015.
Possible reasons for this sudden rise are put down to several factors, namely the threat of terrorism in countries like France and fears over Brexit – both of which have become more prevalent. From the recent horrific incidents in France and Germany to the value of the pound falling sharply after the vote to leave the EU, these factors are set to have ever-more influence on the UK tourism sector.
Vouchercodes.co.uk, which sells last-minute discounted holidays, predicts an extra 2.5 million people, or 5 per cent of the British population, will decide to holiday at home this year. Their research comes as it is revealed that a holiday abroad now costs a UK family an £245 than it did before the EU vote.
All this is good news for the UK tourism sector and the economy, which will benefit from a big cash injection, rather than it going abroad.
Justin Urquart Stewart, economist and director at Seven Investment Management, told the Telegraph: “More people holidaying in the UK will hugely boost our economy at a time when we greatly need it.
“Families spend around 20 per cent of their net incomes on holidays so the impact will be disproportionately large,” she said.
But it’s not just UK holidaymakers who are choosing these shores for their breaks in 2016. The weaker pound may also attract more foreign visitors – another reason for UK holiday parks and campsites to be optimistic.
Patricia Yates, director at Visit England, said: “Britain looks particularly good value at the moment because of the value of the pound. Beach and countryside holidays are growing in popularity and are helped by the rise of glamping and AirBnB.
“Once popular destinations such as Egypt and Turkey now look much less safe than they did in the past so there is already a shift away from those areas.”
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
