Brits Shun International Travel as Staycations and Day Trips Top Polls

LONDON – June 16, 2021 – Latest consumer research shows that Brits are shunning overseas travel this year in favour of staycations and day trips.

According to a recent study conducted by YouGov, only 1 in 10 Brits feel confident about an overseas holiday this year. The market research company polled more than 4,250 adults and found three-quarters were not confident about an overseas holiday, while just 8 percent already had a booking. 

This sentiment was reinforced by qualitative findings from UserTesting, a leading provider of on-demand human insight, which gathered in-depth video evidence from 30 men and women to measure the mood of Brits towards travelling. 

It revealed that most travelers are exercising caution, with 93 percent of women and 86 percent of men planning day trips, while 86 percent of women and 60 percent of men consider staycations as a preferred option.

When it comes to overseas travel, 73 percent felt moderately cautious to very cautious about overseas travel, with 33 percent of women and 40 percent of men stating that they have no plans for international travel this year.

Travel caution
Consumer sentiment findings conducted by Visit Britain, the nation’s official tourism board, has also reported a surge in staycations and day trips. It found 18 percent of Brits will take more UK holidays now compared to just 12 percent in June 2020, while 31 percent said their UK holidays would be about the same, compared to 25 percent in June last year. 

Visit Britain also found only 5 percent of people expect to take more overseas holidays in 2021 than they did in 2020, while 40 percent expect less overseas holidays compared to 46 percent in June last year. 

Jo Migom, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer at Thomas Cook, says: “There are many factors that will come into play this year, such as safety and government guidelines, that will determine travel plans. We are, however, very excited for 2022, which is shaping up to be the year that makes up for lost time. Many people are booking incredible holidays to exciting locations, and also upgrading to enjoy their time away to the fullest extent. We see people wanting to enjoy experiences with family and friends more than ever and having exciting trips booked is giving people something to look forward to.” 

When asked what would make someone cancel a trip, UserTesting respondents’ answers included the possibility of a spike in COVID, country lockdowns, and if required quarantines were put back in place. Respondents were also concerned about the possibility of potential financial impact on travel cost losses if they had to postpone or cancel trips for any of these reasons.

Methodology
The UserTesting survey was conducted in mid-May with 15 women and 15 men that participated in the video think-aloud survey. The participants were required to be between the ages of 25 and 50, living in the United Kingdom.