76% of UK travellers to choose staycation on August bank holiday

Some 76% of UK travellers will choose a ‘staycation’ this bank holiday, based on searches made between August 28 and 31 on hotel search website Trivago.

Three out of four hotel searches are for UK destinations this bank holiday, based on the 50 of the most searched-for destinations on Trivago. Of these, 34 are located in the UK, with 12 located on the coast.

Blackpool, Bournemouth and Brighton are in the top 20, with hotel availability between 24% and 32% in these destinations.

Some coastal destinations have very little availability remaining – Skegness has no free hotels, while Whitby and Weymouth both have just 1% availability remaining and Newquay has 4%.

Despite the popularity of these locations, Trivago said that hoteliers have refrained from increasing their prices. A hotel in Whitby will cost the same as the monthly average this bank holiday (£101) while prices in Weymouth and Skegness are both up by 9% (£98 and £72 per night, respectively).

Meanwhile a hotel in Newquay will cost 15% less than the monthly average this bank holiday, at £106 compared with £124.

The majority of price hikes are in city destinations this bank holiday. Liverpool has the highest rise at 47% from an average of £86 per night during August to £126 over the bank holiday weekend.

Hotel prices have also increased by 38%in Reading for the annual Reading Festival,  while prices also increased in Brighton (up 33% to £153) and Manchester (up 32% to £125).

Barcelona is the only non-UK destination with large price increases. Prices are up by 38%, from £108 during August to £149 over the bank holiday weekend.

Denise Bartlett, UK press officer at Trivago, said: “This is the second time this summer we have noted a strong trend towards taking a ‘staycation’ rather than travelling abroad.

“During the heatwave at the end of June and beginning of July, searches to UK coastal destinations increased by 64% compared to the week before.”