The document summarizes trends in the UK holiday industry. It finds that staycations within the UK have increased, likely due to the weakened pound from Brexit making foreign travel less valuable. Activity holidays have grown significantly, now making up 40% of bookings compared to just 20% in 2013. Glamping, or glamorous camping, has expanded and now offers year-round accommodations to meet demand. City breaks remain a popular short holiday choice.

1. Trends/developments in
the UK holiday industry
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2. Staycations
A staycation is a holiday spent in one's home country rather than abroad, or one spent at home and
involving day trips to local attractions. They have been increasingly growing within the UK, especially in
recent years. 90% of bookings for staycations come from domestic demand – possibly influenced by
Brexit
Due the weakened pound post Brexit, travelers seem less willing to go abroad for their holidays since
they would be getting less value for their money vs prior to the Brexit campaign.
This low exchange rate does not only affect tourists travelling within the EU but also has a negative
impact as a cost to airlines too. The low exchange rates between the GBP, EUR and US dollar are
causing airlines fuel costs to rise, which in turn raises the average price of a plane ticket.
A report released by Sojern highlighted that the UK has already seen a 25 per cent increase year-on-
year of holidaymakers choosing to stay closer to home.
An analysis of over 350 million traveller profiles revealed that over half of these travellers were
planning short trips of less than three days to parts of the UK.
Recent figures released by VisitEngland showed that 26.2 million holidays trips across England were
taken between January and July last year. This is a six per cent increase from the same time period in
2016. Experts at SnapTrip expect to see this six per cent increase continue to rise throughout the year.
Cultural familiarity, geographical distance and ease of access also make the UK an attractive
destination for people looking for a spontaneous short weekend trip - another increasing trend this
summer. Top UK destinations for this summer are, in order, London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow
and Birmingham.

3. Activity Holidays
Cheap flights have spiked an interest in holidays taken abroad, all across
Europe, Asia and other destinations, targeted by a variety of single and
family travellers. In the 1990’s and 2000’s, beach holidays faced a massive
increase, as travellers looked for warmer destinations as opposed to
Britain's unpredictable climate. However now in the 2010’s, Activity
holidays are on a sharp rise.
Beach holidays are still a popular destination, however an activity holiday
trend is fast emerging.
Activity holidays may include skiing, walking, golfing and cooking as well
as many more.
In 2013, activity holidays accounted for just 20% of overall holiday sales,
however in 2015, they made up for 40% of the holiday bookings.
Over the last 3years, there has been a 100% increase in the number of
activity holidays booked by single travellers. This fast growth rate
indicates that singles of all ages are increasingly looking for active and
out-going options.
Activity holiday providers have adapted to this high demand by catering
towards a variety of extreme activities to soft activities so that people
may have the choice depending on whatever is suited for the customer.

4. Glamping
Glamping, short for glamourous camping is a form of camping involving
accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional
camping.
There has been an increase in glamping choices for guests, therefore it is important to
offer something unique. Also, with guest expectations being very high, a premium
service is vital. Glamping is traditionally seen as a seasonal holiday, however there has
been a rise in all year-round sites across the UK, such as tree houses and cabins.
The majority of guests stay for two or three nights and look for short breaks which
enables them to get back into nature and escape their busy working lives for a short
time.
Winter glamping bookings went up by 50% in 2017 as people are looking for year
round spaces outside of the traditional season of March to September.
Glampers look for destinations which offer all year round accommodation, regardless
of the weather. Thus they look for accommodation units that offer full insulation and
avoid typical bell tents and tipis. For example, a potential glamper customer may look
for mini lodges or treehouse which have fully insulated to roof, walls and floor to
building regulation standards.

5. City Breaks
In 2016, UK residents went on over 70.8 million holidays abroad – a 68%
rise from the 42 million trips taken in 1996.
One change in trend is the decrease in the traditional 2week holiday. With
the large variety of places to see with little time/money, there is an
increase in shorter breaks. This may have been influenced by the
introduction of budget airlines.
City breaks remain the no.1 holiday type of choice in 2017, with over half
of the UK population taking at least one in that year.
Most popular destinations in 2017 include Spain, Italy, Greece and
Portugal.
Research shows that over a quarter of the population (26%) are willing to
visit a new country in 2018.
The introduction of budget airlines also sparked an increase in the amount
of travels taken abroad, making travel more affordable for everyone. This
may also by explanation in significant trend change of British travelers
taking shorter holidays.