Owners of second homes which are let out for holidays will have no doubt noticed the publicity around staycations in the media. A combination of social and economic factors have led to the likelihood of more UK holidaymakers choosing to stay in the UK rather than travel abroad. The factors are:

• Economic uncertainty in the UK, leading to job insecurity and a smaller budget for a holiday
• The weaker pound against the Euro, making traditionally popular holiday destinations on the Mediterranean more expensive to visit.
• Rising airport taxes and duty on fuel when flying.
• Strikes, social unrest and economic uncertainty in countries such as Greece.

Certainly camping retailers have seen a positive increase in business and one particular trend of interest to holiday home owners is the potential market for ‘greycations’, where three generations of a family holiday together to share cost (and maybe babysitting?).

Is the self-catering market seeing the benefit of staycations in increased demand?

The UK Tourism Survey is sponsored by the tourist boards of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and surveys the domestic tourism habits of a large section of individuals who have taken an overnight trip in the UK.

The 2010 results are out with some interesting findings.

Holiday Nights (millions)

2007 – 203.9

2008 – 193.1

2009 – 222.5

2010 – 202.8

So although overnight stays were down nearly 10% on 2009, the longer term picture would suggest that 2009 was a bumper year.

One other interesting statistic was looking at the number of overnight holiday trips by the different socio-economic groups. The number of bednights taken by AB groups was up 0.7% while C1 was down 11% and DE was down 20.1%. So the demand for quality accommodation is still strong and much more resilient to broader trends.

The survey and further tourism research can be viewed here: http://www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics/major-tourism-surveys/overnightvisitors/index.aspx