There’s nothing like home

‘Staycationing’ has taken a new meaning this year as the economic crisis has hit its peak and an increasing number of Britons decided to stay at home in order to save on travel (and related) costs. In fact, 17% less people travelled abroad in June this year, compared with the same month last year, boosting tourism revenue for the UK and bringing much-needed revenue to many local accommodation providers.

And even though the weather proved to dampen some spirits and there was some rallying during the August bank holiday, overall foreign travel reservations dropped by 10% this summer, according to the Association of British Travel Agents.

The extent of searches on the Internet for holidays in the UK even prompted Teletext Holidays to modify its website in order to include a tab dedicated to holidays in the British Isles. Teletext Holidays’ managing director Victoria Sanders said that they had “seen a big rise in the number of people searching online for UK holidays this year, and we wanted to create a one-stop-shop to make booking holidays at home easier and cheaper.”

Detailed destination guides will also be developed by VisitBritain for Teletext Holidays, covering all parts of the country, giving plenty of inspiration to holidaymakers for their stays. And there is plenty out there to keep ‘staycationers’ occupied, from walks and cycling to national heritage sites, gardens and wildlife reserves, which is exactly what has happened. English Heritage, for instance, saw a rise of 22% in the number of visitors during July, while the National Trust saw an increase of 8.3% in the number of visitors and its holiday cottages had 7% more bookings in July.

However, it is important to help guests understand what is available to them in order to fully enjoy their stay. Individuals who are used to travelling abroad and have opted to stay home to save on costs still want to enjoy their holiday, and they will choose the destination that will offer them the most opportunities to do so.

Another boost to tourism in the UK came from overseas travellers who took advantage of the weaker sterling. And although for the first six months of the year foreign visitor numbers are down, due in big part to the economic crisis and the Swine Flu, there was a rally in numbers in June, with an increase of 5% in overseas visitors as compared to June 2008. This is the first month this year that records such an increase with spending also up by 8% during that month compared with June 2008.