LONDON, UK, 20 April, 2021 - With lockdown restrictions beginning to lift, travel is on everyone’s minds again -- albeit largely domestically for the time being. In fact, Tripadvisor site data shows that travellers in the UK searching for British staycations this month has increased by 384% compared with the first week of January¹.

And it’s not just hotel searches that are going through the roof. Brits are so excited to get out and about, with searches for experiences (attractions and tours) by UK travellers this month increasing by 128% compared with the first week of January and restaurant searches are up 100%.

With travel finally a possibility again, Brits are no doubt excitedly thinking ahead to the summer and where they might be able to head off on that long awaited holiday. According to a recent Tripadvisor survey, almost half of Brits (47%) are planning to travel this summer, rising to 50% and 51% respectively when looking at Gen Z and Millennials.

And it seems that Brits have missed travelling so much over the course of the past year that this summer, they’re not holding back. Almost half (44%) plan to make up for lost time by taking two or more holidays, while one in eight (13%) plan to take at least three. This is also evident in the length of trips Brits are planning as more than one in seven (15%) will take a trip of at least 11 days, while more than one in 20 (6%) intend to have a holiday that is over 14 days, rising to 7% for both GenZ and Millennials.

More than one in three (41%) of Brits who plan to travel this summer will be taking a staycation, compared with one in seven (14%) who plan to travel internationally, should restrictions allow. GenZ travellers are the most likely to travel abroad this summer with over one in six (18%) saying that they plan to do so.

Tripadvisor search data shows that the most popular travel weeks for Brits this summer are weeks commencing 28 June and 26 July, but which destinations are on the up for Brits this summer?

When looking at the UK destinations which have seen the biggest year-on-year increase in searches for domestic travel this summer, Devon’s Torquay comes out on top, followed by the Lake District’s Windermere and Yorkshire’s York in second and third place respectively.

For Brits heading to Torquay this summer, the most popular thing to do, according to bookings on Tripadvisor, is a gin making experience at The Gin Nest, where you will be guided in the art of distilling your own craft gin using a traditional copper pot².

Internationally, Greece is trending heavily as six of the top ten spots for Tripadvisor clicks from UK travellers are Greek destinations. This is possibly owing to the fact that Greece has recently been vocal about its hopes to re-open its doors to tourists in mid-May, providing that they have been vaccinated, have antibodies or can provide a negative Covid test.  

The islands of Zakynthos and Santorini in particular are piquing the interest of Brits this summer with four of the top ten located here. Tsilivi (also known as Planos) in Zakynthos takes first place as the fastest growing year-on-year for Brits, followed by Cong in County Mayo, Ireland and  Soufriere in St Lucia coming second and third respectively.

For Brits planning to head to Tsilivi (Planos) this summer (should government guidelines allow) the most popular thing to do², according to bookings on Tripadvisor, is a tour of the island that includes a visit to the famous Shipwreck Beach (also known as Navagio Beach). On this once in a lifetime experience you will get to see the beautiful cove that is only accessible by boat. The beach got its name after a ship crashed onto the shore in 1980 and is still there today. You’ll also ride a glass-bottom boat out to the island’s famous Blue Caves and have a chance to swim in Xigia Beach’s sulphur-rich, spa-like waters.

Here is a full list of the fastest growing domestic and international destinations based on the biggest year on year increase of searches, along with highly rated hotel options with summer availability:

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITOR

¹ Based on hotel clicks made on Tripadvisor in the first week of January 2021 compared with the first weekend of April 2021.

² Most popular experiences in this destination based on bookings on Tripadvisor made between June and August 2020

³ Highly-rated hotels sourced from Tripadvisor Popularity Index as of 19 April 2021.  

The data cited in this release was gathered and analysed from three key sources:

• A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of over 2,500 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between 1 April 2021 through 8 April 2021 across six countries - U.S., UK, Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan
  • ​Generationscited are broken down by the following age ranges
    • ​57 - 75 (Baby boomer)
    • 41 - 56 (Generation X)
    • 25 - 40 (Millennials)
    • 18 - 24 (Generation Z)
• Site behavioral data sourced from first party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered during the week commencing 22 March 2021, for searches made by UK travellers from 1 January 2021 through 26 March 2021 for travel between 1 June 2021 through 31 August 2021.
• Site behavioral data sourced from first party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered during the week commencing 12 April 2021, for searches made by UK travellers from the first week of January 2021 compared with the first week of April 2021.

For further information,contact ukpressoffice@tripadvisor.com

About Tripadvisor 

Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*, helps hundreds of millions of people each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use the Tripadvisor site and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than 884 million reviews and opinions of 7.9 million businesses, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby. As a travel guidance company available in 49 markets and 28 languages, Tripadvisor makes planning easy no matter the trip type.  

The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), own and operate a portfolio of online travel brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps, including the following websites: www.bokun.io, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.bookatable.co.uk, and www.delinski.com), www.helloreco.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.housetrip.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.seatguru.com, www.singleplatform.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, and www.viator.com.

*  Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, December 2020

** Source: Tripadvisor internal log file