Travelsmart
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Original Cottages reports that the initial post-Christmas booking period has been buoyant with its two busiest weekends for bookings still to come. Analysing bookings data from its 23 self-catering agencies across England and Wales from 26 December – 3 January reveal bookings for its 4,000+ holiday rentals are already up 8% year on year.
Top 5 summer holiday destinations booked
- Southwold, Suffolk
- Whitby, Yorkshire
- Padstow, Cornwall
- Abersoch, Wales
- Woolacombe, Devon
Aldeburgh drops out of the top 5 from 2017 while the top two hold strong. The tranquil, arty and foodie Southwold leads the way, while Yorkshire stunning coastline and cultural melting pot of Whitby rocks into second. No surprises to find ‘Padstein’ in the mix, but great to see watersports hotspots making it into the top five too.
More than a third of Twixmas period bookings were for family holidays
- 38% were family bookings
- 47% of family bookings were for July and August dates
- Abersoch, Southwold and Woolacombe top the family holiday popularity table
- Family bookings are for 7 nights or more
- 12% of summer bookings in this period sought pet friendly accommodation
Couples seek sanctuary out of season, stay longer and want more
- More than half of bookings for 2 guests were made outside of school holiday periods
- Couples also appear to be holidaying for longer with a 10% increase in bookings of 7 nights or more with just 2 guests.
- One in every three bookings was for 2 guests – an 11% increase year on year
Dogs must come too
- 12% increase in bookings for pet friendly holiday homes was sparked by almost a third (27%) of Twixmas bookings requiring a bed for pooch too
- June was the most popular month for holidaying with Fido accounting for 17% of pet friendly bookings over the period
“A strong start for our most popular destinations not only promises another growth year for the staycation, but also reflects the positive place a holiday at home now has in the hearts and minds of British consumers. And we expect the rest of January to perform even better,” says Francisco Rosas of Original Cottages.
The tradition of families to plan ahead for summer rings true again this year. Habits of couples, whether they be dual income and no kids or empty nesters, could indicate greater confidence in the economy and income. Meanwhile, one of the core benefits of self-catering, accepting pets, plays to its own strengths as the RSPCA estimates 8.5 million pet dogs belong to UK families.
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