The timeless charm of the Regency seafront at Sidmouth has pushed the Devon town to the fifth top trending holiday destination in the UK. There has been a 203 per cent increase this year in searches for the East Devon town at the end of the Jurassic Coast.
The survey by holiday rentals firm HomeToGo says there has been a 60 per cent increase in searches for summer holidays in 2022 so far.
HomeToGo today released its 2022 UK Summer Travel Forecast with 50 per cent of British travellers planning to visit UK destinations this summer, with 12 per cent choosing to stay hyper-local and holiday within their own region of residence.
The survey found that 62 per cent of British travellers plan to visit beaches in the coming months. Lyme Regis in Dorset was top of the trending summer 2022 domestic destination (with a 302 per cent year on year increase), Hunstanton in Norfolk and Bamburgh in Northumberland were second and third. Swanage in Dorset was fourth and Sidmouth in Devon was fifth.
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Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk keep their positions as the most-searched counties for summer.
Top 10 Trending for Summer 2022: Domestic Destinations
1. Lyme Regis, Dorset (+321% YoY search increase)
2. Hunstanton, Norfolk (+249%)
3. Bamburgh, Northumberland (+248%)
4. Swanage, Dorset (+218%)
5. Sidmouth, Devon (+203%)
6. Southwold, Suffolk (+186%)
7. Filey, North Yorkshire (+162%)
8. Keswick, Cumbria (+109%)
9. Isle of Wight (+106%)
10. Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire (+46%)
In 2022 so far, HomeToGo has recorded an overall 60 per cent uplift in searches for summer holiday accommodation and a nine per cent increase in the average length of stay. In addition, more than half (52%) of all searches for summer holiday rentals this year so far via hometogo.co.uk have been for stays in international destinations, up from 26% in 2021*.
Dr. Patrick Andrae, Co-founder & CEO at HomeToGo, comments: “Over the past two years while restrictions due to COVID-19 have been in place, we’ve seen the demand for travel during the high seasons manifest as surges in domestic tourism, with holidaymakers seeking out rentals in rural destinations for summer stays. Now, as international trips and city breaks regain momentum, holiday rentals remain a top choice of accommodation for many travellers, seamlessly suited to workations and getaways with friends and family – two types of trips we expect to see define the 2022 peak season.”
More than a third (34%) of British participants selected good weather as the most influential factor in their choice of destination. Search trends further show that travellers from the UK will be jetting off to visit warmer, sunnier shores this summer, with searches for holiday accommodation in locations such as Málaga, the South of France and the Algarve seeing year-on-year uplifts of +468%, +248% and +207% respectively.
City breaks are also set to return, with sun-kissed urban hubs across Europe seeing compelling increases in searches for summer holiday accommodation – including Porto in Portugal (+548%), Budapest in Hungary (+444%) and Murcia in Spain (+238%). Elsewhere, long-haul destinations such as Canada’s Toronto, Indonesia’s Bali and Mexico’s Cancún are being added to high season travel itineraries, registering search increases of +385%, +227% and +66% respectively.
Domestic travel intent remains strong. 50% of British participants in HomeToGo’s consumer survey stated that they plan to visit UK destinations for trips in 2022, with another 12% choosing to stay hyper-local and holiday within their region of residence.
In line with the survey finding that 62% of British travellers plan to visit beaches in the coming months, search insight shows that staycationers will be heading to seaside spots for holidays in 2022. Coastal locations such as Lyme Regis in Dorset, Hunstanton in Norfolk and Bamburgh in Northumberland account for eight of the UK’s top 10 trending domestic locations for the high season, with Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk keeping their positions as the most-searched counties for summer.
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