76% of UK travelers will choose a ‘staycation’ this bank holiday, based on searches made between 28 and 31 August on hotel search website trivago.co.uk. Holidaymakers seem optimistic for good weather, with 12 of the top 50 destinations located on the UK coastline. Hotel availability is noticeably low in these destinations, but large price increase is rare – the majority of price hikes are instead in city destinations.
Top 20 Destinations 28 – 31 August 2015:
| Popularity Ranking | Destination | Average Price* | Average Price August | Percentage Difference | Hotel Availability |
| 1 | London | £175 | £169 | 4% | 33% |
| 2 | Manchester | £125 | £95 | 32% | 33% |
| 3 | Blackpool | £64 | £65 | -2% | 32% |
| 4 | Edinburgh | £187 | £207 | -10% | 20% |
| 5 | Dublin | £122 | £118 | 3% | 25% |
| 6 | Liverpool | £126 | £86 | 47% | 23% |
| 7 | Barcelona | £149 | £108 | 38% | 29% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | £151 | £127 | 19% | 15% |
| 9 | Birmingham | £73 | £67 | 9% | 35% |
| 10 | York | £115 | £120 | -4% | 14% |
| 11 | Paris | £105 | £106 | -1% | 41% |
| 12 | Bournemouth | £125 | £117 | 7% | 24% |
| 13 | Brighton | £153 | £115 | 33% | 24% |
| 14 | Glasgow | £117 | £107 | 9% | 9% |
| 15 | Leeds | £88 | £87 | 1% | 29% |
| 16 | Dubai | £103 | £101 | 2% | 55% |
| 17 | Belfast | £107 | £105 | 2% | 4% |
| 18 | Bristol | £93 | £96 | -3% | 30% |
| 19 | Cardiff | £95 | £87 | 9% | 29% |
| 20 | Newcastle | £86 | £79 | 9% | 35% |
*Average price per night from 28 – 31 August, compared to the monthly average during August.
76% choose ‘staycation’:
3 out of 4 hotel searches are for UK destinations this bank holiday, based on the 50 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 per cent in these destinations.
Some coastal destinations have very little hotel availability remaining: Skegness, for example, has no free hotels, while Whitby and Weymouth both have 1 per cent availability remaining and Newquay has 4 per cent. Despite the popularity of these destinations, 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 percent (£98 and £72 per night, respectively). A hotel in Newquay will cost 15 per cent less than the monthly average this bank holiday (£106 compared to £124).
City Price Hikes:
The majority of hotel price increases seem to be in city destinations this bank holiday. Liverpool is the worst offender, with a 47 per cent increase from an average of £86 per night during August to £126 over the bank holiday weekend. Barcelona is the only non-UK destination with large price increases: prices are up by 38 percent, from £108 during August to £149 over the bank holiday weekend.
Hotel prices have also increased by 38 per cent in Reading for the annual Reading Festival, from £91 during August to £126 during the festival. Hotel availability is at a relatively low 13 per cent. Despite the same festival occurring in Leeds, hotel prices have not increased there, remaining at a steady £88 per night.
Prices have also increased in Brighton (up 33 per cent to £153) and Manchester (up 32 per cent to £125).
Denise Bartlett, UK Public Relations: “Despite the ambiguous weather conditions, UK holidaymakers are clearly hopeful for a sunny August bank holiday, with 3 in 4 searches for a hotel in the UK and 12 of the top 50 destinations located on the coast. Those still needing to book their hotel should consider destinations where prices remain low and availability remains high.
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 per cent compared to the week before.”
