Last-minute Easter staycations surged this year as more people opted for trips closer to home amid turbulence overseas and worries over renewed cost-of-living pressures, new figures show.
Recent bookings data suggests that trips within the UK have become more popular in light of conflict in the Middle East.
Awaze, which is Europe’s biggest holiday homes business, said next-day bookings spiked by a third over the two weeks leading up to Easter, compared with the same period a year ago.
This trend continued for trips into the Easter weekend with bookings made in the week ahead surging by 38% for UK getaway brands Cottages.com and by 11% for Hoseasons.
Demand was being led by coastal destinations including Cornwall, Devon and Norfolk and countryside spots such as Yorkshire and Cumbria, amid sunnier weather sweeping across the country.
Awaze said that more than a fifth of all UK bookings are now made within two weeks of departure.
Meanwhile, holiday parks provider Parkdean Resorts said an uptick in searches for British coastal destinations has seen the likes of Morecambe Bay in Lancashire and Dover in Kent in high demand over the past week as holidaymakers look to stay closer to home.
Last week, travel agent Lastminute.com revealed that the war in the Middle East had affected around 17,000 bookings, due to airspace closures in the region and the impact to consumer sentiment around travel.
The bookings platform said consumers have been seeking reassurance and flexibility, and noted increased demand for alternative holiday destinations such as European city breaks.
It comes as the Foreign Office has issued new travel advice for a number of countries since the escalation of the US-Israel war with Iran, and is continuing to advise against all but essential travel to places including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Meanwhile, expectations for UK inflation have worsened with many economists forecasting a bounce this year as higher fuel and energy costs push up prices for households and businesses.
Awaze chief executive Matthew Price said: “In a period of geopolitical uncertainty and with cost-of-living pressures not abating, we saw a huge spike in demand for staycations this Easter across the country.
“The reality is in uncertain times, people don’t stop prioritising holidays – they look for options that offer an escape and feel effortless.”
He added that it is also reflective of a “more long-term shift in consumer behaviour” with people preferring the certainty and flexibility of UK staycations without contending with “unexpected changes out of their control”.
