10 Million Brits Celebrate Summer 2012 by Holidaying at Home
25 July 2012. 10.3 million Brits (21 per cent of the adult population) plan to make the most of the summer (until the end of August) by taking at least one holiday or short break in the UK, with 8.9 million people (18 per cent) planning to take that trip in England, according to VisitEngland’s Summer Trip Tracker. This is likely to generate some £2.3billion in tourism spend for the UK economy, around £1.9bn of which will be spent in England. These figures compare with 12% (5.9million) of Brits who plan to take abroad over the same period
Around 10.8 million Brits (22 per cent) are currently undecided about taking a trip away during the summer, with concerns around their financial situation (39% of this group) and the weather (28%) being the main drivers of doubt. 22 per cent are waiting to see if there are special offers or deals available over the summer period.
James Berresford, VisitEngland’s Chief Executive, commented:
“I’m delighted to see that over 10 million people are planning to holiday at home this summer. The industry has a vast opportunity to inspire those still undecided and convince them that England is the place to be this summer. If we convert even half of those who are undecided about taking a summer break in England, we could potentially contribute an additional £600m to the UK economy. The trend for last minute bookings is strong, this coupled with the recent return of sunshine to our shores could provide the industry with a welcome boost”
He went on to say: “Anyone looking for inspiration or special offers should check out www.great2012offers.com, for thousands of great deals on accommodation, attractions, travel, meals out and more. A summer in England will be a special occasion this year!”
The national tourist board also revealed that Brits are getting into the Olympic spirit with 10.8 million Brits , (22 per cent of the adult population) having attended the Torch Relay or torch relay event and another 9 per cent planning to when the Torch visits their area. 6 per cent say they have tickets to the Olympics and another 4% are still hopeful that they might get tickets, while 6 per cent are hoping to go to free events in the area to soak up the atmosphere during Games Time.
For more ideas and inspiration on how to get the best out of the Summer in England visit: www.visitengland.com.
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Notes to Editors:
• VisitEngland commissions online omnibus surveys periodically in order to collect data on the number of GB consumers who plan to take an overnight trip at key times throughout the year.
• In this Summer edition, the survey was carried out on an online omnibus by TNS, with a representative sample of 1211 adults aged 16 and over in Great Britain.
• The fieldwork for the survey took place between the 19th and 23rd July 2012.
• Trip volumes are based on an adult (16+) population of 49.2m (Office for National Statistics).
• Total trip value is calculated using the average ‘spend per trip’ figures from 2011 for the UK (£179 for all trips, £222 for holiday trips) and England (£172 for all trips, £217 for holidays) – see here for more info: http://www.visitengland.org/Images/Headline%20summary%20GBTS%202011_tcm30-32636.pdf
• For the full report, visit: http://www.visitengland.org/Images/Summer%20Trip%20Tracker%20July%202012_final_tcm30-33787.pdf
For more information contact:
Sarah Long, Head of Corporate Communications Tel: 020 7578 1452, Email sarah.long@visitengland.orgwww.visitengland.org
Emma White, Corporate Communications Executive Tel 020 7578 1471, Email: emmalucy.white@visitengland.org www.visitengland.org
About VisitEngland
• VisitEngland is the country’s national tourist board. We work in partnership with the industry to develop the visitor experience across England, plan national tourism strategy, grow the value of tourism in England and provide advocacy for the industry and our visitors
• Our work is underpinned by robust research and customer insights. You can access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics on www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics
About England
• England is a unique destination and a real powerhouse in global tourism. It represents 84 per cent of the total UK visitor economy, is worth £97 billion, and supports in excess of 2 million jobs
• More information can be found on www.visitengland.com and www.visitengland.org