Beach-bound Brits look closer to home for their holidays this summer, new Expedia Report reveals

Beach-bound Brits look closer to home for their holidays this summer, new Expedia Report reveals

2012 Expedia Beach Report reveals trends, holiday habits and beach behaviours of Brits, compared to other travellers from around the world:

·         Britain’s best beach: the real Jersey Shore!

·         European top 20 destination list revealed: Spain dominates, with UK a close second

·         Cost is increasingly important for cash-strapped Brits who are tightening purse strings

·         Brits are beach holiday starved when compared to other European sun-seekers

·         Long-haul holidays decline in popularity with staycations on the rise

·         Shark attacks concern Brits when deciding on a seaside destination!

London, 18^th May 2012 – Expedia.co.uk today launches the 2012 Expedia Beach Report which crowns Jersey as having the best British beaches, and paints an interesting picture of the real British holidaymaker: in common with travellers around the world we can’t stay away from the beach with even more of us planning a beach holiday this year than last. Yet in comparison with European sun-seekers, we are relatively starved of beach holidays and driven by cost and our obsession with the weather.

The report also shows that Spain dominates the Expedia top 20 beach destination list for UK travellers, revealing widespread demand for the traditional Spanish beach holiday. The Channel Islands features within the top 10, highlighting its suitability for seaside-loving Brits looking for a holiday closer to home vs. popular long haul beach destinations such as Florida.

Britain’s best beaches: the real Jersey Shore!

This year Jersey comes top of the list of Britain’s best beaches. Known for its beautiful sandy bays and clear waters, Jersey beaches take the crown as Brits enjoy all the benefits of beautiful French weather, but with familiar British food and culture.

The Top 10 British Beach Destinations 2012*:

1.     Jersey

2.     Bournemouth

3.     Blackpool

4.     Torquay

5.     Isle of Wight

6.     Guernsey

7.     Newquay

8.     Weymouth

9.     Penzance

10.  Ramsgate

UK travellers’ best beaches: ¡Y Viva España!      

Spain dominates as leader with its beach credentials, occupying five places in the top 20 list of best beach destinations for UK travellers, and the Iberian Peninsula accounting for the top 3. The average travel time for Brits to head to any seaside resort is 7.4 hours, compared to our European counterparts, who will travel further to reach their ideal beach spot.

Top 20 Beach Destinations for UK Travellers:

1.     Balearic Islands, Spain

2.     Algarve, Portugal

3.     Malaga & Costa del Sol, Spain

4.     Sorrento (Penisola Sorrentina), Italy

5.     French Riviera, France

6.     Malta

7.     Canary Islands, Spain

8.     Morocco

9.     Lake Garda, Italy

10.  Channel Islands, UK

11.  Cyclades Islands, Greece

12.  Miami, Florida

13.  Croatian Coast

14.  Cyprus

15.  Alicante & Costa Blanca, Spain

16.  Devon and Cornwall, UK

17.  Valencia & Costa Azahar, Spain

18.  Monterey, California

19.  Costiera Amalfitana, Italy

20.  Bournemouth, UK

The rise and rise of the British staycation

Despite this Spanish dominance, British holiday destinations are popular for UK holidaymakers, with some of the UK’s best beach areas accounting for a significant proportion and even pushing Dubai out of the top 20. This data also reflects the growing trend for the UK “staycation”, as Expedia.co.uk shows that a fifth of the population (25%) head no further than domestic shores on holiday. And with this year’s summer event calendar full to the brim, Brits will have more reason than ever before to stay close to home.

The popularity of long haul destinations has waned in 2012 as destinations such as Florida and California drop down the list compared with last year.

Cash-strapped British holidaymakers rate price over destination

As the financial crisis shows no sign of let-up, it comes as no surprise that price is the most important factor in deciding a beach holiday destination for three quarters (75%) of UK public. Well-known worldwide for their obsession with the weather, Brits are feeling the pinch, placing far more importance on cost than sunshine (67%), beach quality (66%), food (62%) and whether there might be sharks in the water (40%)!

How UK holidaymakers select their beach destination vs Germans and French

Andy Washington, Managing Director, UK and Ireland comments: “It’s interesting to see that short haul travel and ‘staycations’ continue to be a trend for UK travellers this summer, as we see cost being of great importance when making a decision on beach holidays. We often see travel patterns changing in line with currency fluctuations, and we expect many Brits to take advantage of the relative strength of the pound against the Euro, with European destinations growing in popularity as a result.

The research shows that Brits favour a combination of shorter breaks throughout the year, and a beach break in Summer, but we tend to spend slightly less time at the beach than some of our nearest neighbours – almost 20% less time than the Germans and around 15% less than the French.

We see that Brits tend to take a more flexible approach to holiday and unlike the many of our European counterparts we are not so rigidly committed to taking the bulk of our holiday in summer. Brits start planning our main holiday a long time in advance, but we’re also keen to have the flexibility to add a weekend in the beach if the sun comes out, but getting a good deal is always on our minds.” added Washington.

Further interesting findings from the 2012 Expedia Beach Report

British beach-seekers’ behaviour versus the rest of the world:

Brits’ beach activities:

·         Despite being known for drinking habits abroad, only 12% of Brits would take part in beach bar games – that’s less than India (22%), Mexico (19%) and Ireland (18%)

·         Prudish Brits wouldn’t dream of sunbathing naked at the beach with only 2% baring all, compared to 15% of our more confident German cousins!

·         In general us Brits opt to kick back on their beach holidays and keep themselves to themselves in order to relax (63%). Our German counterparts however are much more sociable and active when it comes to their holidays, taking part in swimming (82%) and exercising (29%).

Beach holidays in the last 12 months

·         Brits (30%), Danes (31%) and Dutch (32%) are those most starved of beach holidays, in stark comparison with the sun-seeking South Americans who cannot stay away from the beach: Brazil (72%), Mexico (61%)and Argentina (57%)

·         However this is likely to increase this year, as 67% of Brits, 73% Danes and 77% Dutch plan to take a beach holiday over the next year

Holiday planning

·         Brits are the most organised holiday planners with over a third (35%) planning more than six months ahead (EU average 22%). In Europe only the Dutch come close (30%) and globally only the Canadians (31%). Naturally those living closest to the beach tend to leave it to the last minute – French, Spanish and Italians – all with over 20% planning less than a month ahead

Influence in choice

·         French (49%) and Spanish (50%) are those most concerned about suitability of the beach for families compared to less than 30% of Brits, Dutch, Swedes and Danes. Globally the Mexicans are the most concerned with this aspect by far with a whopping 81% rating this a key consideration

For more information or if you are feeling inspired to book your next beach holiday, simply visit http://www.expedia.co.uk/p/beach-holidays