UK holiday bookings are rising as disruption in the Middle East pushes more travellers to look closer to home. Booking.com said searches for May half-term UK holidays were up 20% on last year, while Airbnb said searches for UK stays over the May bank holidays were up 15%.
The trend comes as the war in Iran disrupts travel across the Middle East and lifts prices for flights and package deals to European destinations. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned last week that “people might change where they go on holiday this year,” while the government says there is no need to cancel flights.
Some travellers already familiar with the UK say the country offers enough variety to replace a trip abroad. Among them is travel and lifestyle content creator Eboni Dixon, 34, who shares hidden gems from around the British Isles.
“We are literally surrounded by coastlines,” she said, “and there are so many stunning ones I haven’t even got to yet.”
Dixon said the Isle of Wight was “absolutely unreal” after a three-day wellness retreat there that included yoga and paddleboarding. “My photos look like I could have been in Croatia,” she said, adding that the island’s beaches and scenery rival destinations overseas.
She also named Alton in Hampshire, where she saw lavender fields, and Hastings, where she visited a vineyard, Hever Castle and the East and West Hill Lifts, as other places that impressed her. Folkestone in Kent, she said, is “really up and coming” and has a harbour that “looks like you could be abroad.”
For Dixon, the appeal of a UK break lies in having interesting things to do without the need to fly. “When a lot of people think of a holiday immediately you think of going abroad and you have to get on a plane for it to be a holiday,” she said. “For me, it doesn’t really matter where in the world I am as long as there’s interesting things on offer.”
She added that people looking for a simple beach holiday could “lie on a beach in the UK” instead of travelling overseas. “If you go to Spain or whatever, you’re surrounded by Brits anyway!” she said.
Another couple, David Land and his wife Barbara, said they changed their plans after their Maldives trip was affected by the situation in the region. They were due to travel via Dubai, but after their operator offered a choice to postpone or cancel, they took a refund and booked Northumberland for June instead.
“The coastline is idyllic, it’s just not got the temperatures,” said David Land. “But as long as you take a big coat and a T-shirt, you’ll be fine.”
He said he and Barbara were looking forward to walks, pubs, restaurants and history on their trip. The pair have previously taken UK breaks in Cornwall, North Wales, Norfolk and the Peak District, as well as city breaks in Manchester, Leeds and London.
Land said a UK holiday was “a completely different type of holiday” from a beach trip abroad. “If you just want to lie on a sunbed and have a dip in the pool then you’d go to Spain, but if you want to keep a family entertained for a day there’s a lot more [in the UK] than we give it credit for,” he said.
He added that prices for a week in Europe could be similar to those in the UK, and said he hoped to visit Portugal this year too.
The UK offers a wide range of staycation options, from coastal escapes to heritage attractions, and the latest booking data suggests more travellers are paying attention. For many, the draw is simple: lower hassle, shorter travel times and the chance to rediscover destinations at home.
