The research reveals that the average
British budget for UK breaks is £800
with over a fifth (22%) of holidaymakers
planning to spend more than £1000
on their UK getaways. During their
staycations, Brits also expect to spend an
average of £309 on accommodation, £152
on dining out and £121 on shopping, if
they were to spend time holidaying in the
UK this year.
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International holidaymakers
influenced by Brexit
The majority of international
holidaymakers (51%) report that the
vote to leave the EU has had no impact
on their likelihood to visit the UK, and
nearly a third (31%) reported that they
are more likely to visit the UK than
before the Referendum. However, the
study also highlighted the role of the UK
as a tourism hub with nearly a quarter
(24%) of those who said they would be
less likely to visit the UK post-Brexit
citing worries about onward travel to
other European destinations. This was
especially important for guests from
Australia (44%) who are potentially
looking to combine their visit with
multiple European destinations owing to
the longer travel distance.
Visas are also a concern as of the 10% of
international tourists who said they are
less interested in visiting the UK today
than 12 months ago- nearly 1 in 5 (19%)
cite this as a worry.
Mike Saul, Head of Hospitality & Leisure at
Barclays, said: “2017 looks set to be a strong
year for the British hospitality sector with both
domestic and international visitors increasingly
intent on spending more time here.
“While the impact of a weak sterling, at
least temporarily, has boosted the UK’s
international appeal, underlying this increase
is the quality of our hospitality industry
today and the UK’s enduring appeal as
a truly world class destination. Those
holidaymakers who are more likely to visit
today than 12 months ago are doing so for
a range of reasons including the effect of
UK operators’ advertising campaigns, the
attraction of British TV programmes that
have gone global and a case of simply having
more money available to spend on holidays
from which the UK is set to benefit.”
Other international trends revealed by the
research include the regions visitors are
keenest to visit, with London (67%) and
Scotland (44%) topping the list. Interest
in Oxford and Cambridge is also notably
higher for Chinese guests. Overall,
tourists are eager to experience the UK’s
landmarks (51%), history and museums
(44%) and natural landscapes (41%).
The average length of a UK visit is nine
days and the average budget for planned
holidays this year per family, including
airfares is £3443. However, American
and Chinese guests blow even larger
budgets on their planned holidays this
year with average spends of £5230 and
£5424 respectively. Visitors from China
and the US also have significantly larger
shopping budgets, with visitors from