UPDATED: Staycation Statistics UK 2024

2020 was an awkward and terrible time. 

Travel bans, restrictions and risks caused by the Coronavirus pandemic had made it much less likely for us to be packing our bags for an exotic, sun-soaked holiday overseas. 

Because of the limitations we experienced back in 2020, Staycations became an increasingly popular way of easing stress away from work. 

Holidays Abroad vs Staycation Statistics UK (A Study from 2020)

To find out where people in the UK are planning to go on their holidays back in 2020, we surveyed 2,000 UK adults asking them about their travel plans. 

The survey revealed a fairly even split between those wanting to go on a Staycation in the UK and those wanting to holiday abroad: 

• 24.9% say they’d prefer to holiday in the UK until there is a Coronavirus vaccine.

• 24.7% say they want to travel abroad for a holiday again as soon as is allowed.

• 17.76% on the other hand, say they prefer Staycations in the UK, regardless of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Interestingly, 1 in 5 UK adults (21.28%) didn't want to go on holiday back then, whether in the UK or abroad. If these people follow through with their plans to stay home, this will mean that there’ll be almost twice as many people not holidaying than in 2019 (the previous year)

Demographic breakdown

It seems that quite a lot of us are hoping to go on holiday this year, whether that’s for a staycation in the UK or a trip overseas. But how do factors such as our age, gender and location affect our attitudes towards holidays back in 2020? 

The following section shows a demographic breakdown of the staycation statistics findings from our survey. 

Age

• 1 in 3 young people say they want to go on holiday abroad as soon as they’re allowed to. Whereas just 1 in 5 people aged 55+ say the same. 
• A quarter of older people (aged 55+) say they don’t want to go on holiday at all this year. 

Gender 

• More men than women seem to be itching for a holiday in the sun this year. As 25.87% of men say they want to go on holiday abroad after lockdown and just 23.6% of women say the same. 

Location 

• Londoners appear to be the most keen to go on holiday abroad, as 1 in 3 say they want to go abroad as soon as possible. 
• People in Leeds on the other hand, appear to be a little more cautious. As more people in Leeds than in any other UK city say they don’t want to go on holiday at all this year. 

Google searches for Staycations in the UK 

The chart below shows the average search volume for ‘Holiday in the UK’ over the past 12 months from Google Trends. 

Average search volume over the last 12 months for ‘Holiday in the UK’ 

As you can see, searches peaked towards the end of March this year just after the Coronavirus lockdown was announced. They peaked again in May, shortly after the government announced new changes to the Coronavirus lockdown rules. 

Searches for the term ‘Staycation’ are also on the rise. The online tool Keyword Finder reveals that there are now more searches being made each month in the UK for staycations than ever before. 

Monthly search volume for ‘Staycation’ over the last 10 years 

Our analysis found that there are an average of 6,600 searches made per month in the UK for ‘Staycation’. However, during March 2020 and April 2020, a staggering average of 8,100 searches per month were made for ‘Staycation’. 

Does this statistic hold in 2023/2024?

Now that we're (hopefully) out of lockdowns, mandatory face masks and other COVID-related things, are "Staycations" still a sought-after vacation away from home? 

Let's start with the average (estimated) monthly volume in the last 12 months. From the day this post was published (4th January 2023) to a year before, the term "holidays in the uk" reached peaks at certain times of the year, with the highest between May and June - just before summer officially starts! 

There are also spikes in July, August and September, with a large increase in trend scores within January. 

But what does this tell us? Simply, staycations are here to stay, even when we're out of COVID-19. The data shown using Google Trends have indicated to us that searchers are still trying to find ideas for a staycation worldwide. However, since entering 2024, the search trend seems to have dwindled, meaning that people are slowly looking for other means of vacationing.

What are the benefits of Staycations in the UK? 

In this section, we share some of the most recent Staycation Statistics that highlight the benefits of holidaying in the UK. 

It’s kinder to the environment 

Travelling more responsibly can lower your environmental impact significantly. The UK is filled with fantastic holiday destinations that can be just as fun as those abroad. 

A recent study conducted by Carbon Footprint Ltd found that a flight from London to Paris for a family of 4 emits a whopping 220kg of CO2. Whereas a train journey from London to Manchester emits an average of just 48kg of CO2. 

Sustainable travel is also gaining heavy interest since 2010 and 2015.

Bringing Back Memories 

Another benefit of holidaying in the UK is nostalgia. Whether it brings back memories of sharing a portion of fish and chips on the seafront, travelling on an open-top tour bus or exploring an exciting new museum. 

Saving Money 

One of the biggest benefits of going on a Staycation is the amount of money you’ll save. With the money you save from not having to spend on flights, passports and airport transfers you could spend on fun activities during your staycation in the UK. 

The fact is that in 2020, staycations were rising. Now in 2023/2024, staycations are reaching trending scores in a similar way as it did back in 2020. It could be due to convenience, or the benefits above, but one thing's for sure. 

Staycations are here to stay! 

We hope these Staycation Statistics in 2024 give you all the facts and figures surrounding the UK’s opinions, views and search behaviour in relation to staycations.