UK Family Travel Statistics 2023

From short weekend breaks to week-long stays, there are plenty of reasons why thousands of families every year choose the UK as their holiday destination, and opt for a staycation rather than a trip abroad. Aside from avoiding the airport, many people enjoy the activities and adventures that a UK staycation can bring, with something for every generation.

Whether it’s woodland walks, coastal escapes or breathtaking scenic views, many holidaymakers relish spending time outdoors with their loved ones on a UK holiday (despite the sometimes unpredictable weather). 

Here’s our round-up of UK family travel statistics for 2022-2023, including preferred types of accommodation, spending habits, popular destinations and more.

Key Statistics

• Brits spent around £83.6bn on holidays in 2022, with 37% of people admitting they hadn’t used their full annual leave from work because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• 77% of people believe that spending quality time with loved ones is most important post-pandemic.
• Holidaymakers planned an average of three trips in 2022, with almost half (49%) of travellers taking trips with children.[1]
• Nearly a third (31%) of Brits describe planning a family holiday as a ‘frustrating’ experience, while one in five people (21%) think it is ‘painful’.[1]
• Domestic holiday travel in Great Britain was most common among adults aged over 55.[2]
• Brighton Pier was the most visited free attraction in England in 2021 with 4.26 million visitors.[4]
• The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew Gardens was the most visited paid-for attraction in England in 2021 with 1.96 million visitors.[4]
• Four in five (81%) of families book their holidays online, compared to 15% who use the phone, and 15% who use in-store travel agents.

Most popular UK destinations for family holidays

According to a survey by Holiday Cottages, Cornwall was named as Britain’s favourite staycation destination in 2022.[3] The company also found that the search terms ‘family holiday resorts UK’ also increased by 130% in 2022, with many people looking to holiday in the UK rather than jetting abroad. According to the same survey, the five biggest staycation destinations in the UK are as follows:

1. Cornwall

Searches for ‘Cornwall family breaks’ were up 100% in 2022, with plenty of Brits opting for staycations on the Cornish coast. Many people head to Cornwall for the great surfing and beaches, hoping to catch a wave in places like Newquay, St Ives and Bude. Cornwall topped the list for the best staycation destination with children, with popular attractions for families such as the Eden Project, museums and theme parks.

2. North Wales

North Wales boasts over 400 castles and plenty of stunning scenery to explore, making it ideal for family staycations. ‘Family accommodation North Wales’ was one of the biggest staycation search terms in 2022. Conwy Castle remains one of the most popular destinations, as well as plenty of outdoor activities, theme parks and beaches.

3. The Lake District

The Lake District offers 16 beautiful lakes to explore, and a National park where families can enjoy plenty of fresh air and the great outdoors. There are lots of activities for families to get involved in like walks, kayaking, cycling and more. There are also plenty of theme parks like the Go Ape! Adventure centre and National Trust properties.

4. Scottish Highlands

Searches for ‘family resorts in Scotland’ were up 51% in 2022, and it’s easy to see why. A plethora of castles, beaches, national parks and driving routes are there to explore in this region. The Highlands are also a big attraction for nature lovers, with animals such as deer, red squirrels and humpback whales calling the place home.

5. Norfolk

With plenty of walking trails, the beautiful broads and lots of family holiday parks, Norfolk is the nation’s fifth most popular staycation destination. Beaches, funfairs, theme parks and boat trips can be found, with plenty of things to do for those who love getting outdoors in nature.

The top 8 most visited free attractions in England

England is home to some of the most visited attractions in the UK, and many of these include free attractions which don’t require you to purchase a ticket before visiting. 

Visit Britain compiles an annual survey of visits to visitor attractions, giving an overview of the attraction sector in the UK and highlighting hotspots. Based on the last survey from 2021, these were the top 8 most visited free attractions in England.

In 2021, Brighton Pier had the most visitors at over 4.26 million, followed by the Natural History Museum at 1.57 million. Other popular free attractions included the British Museum (1.32 million visitors), and Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds (1.27 million). 

All of the top attractions saw a decline in visitor numbers from 2019 to 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic restricting travel and social gatherings. However, visitor numbers for 6 out of the top 8 attractions increased from 2020 to 2021 as restrictions were lifted.

Source[4]

The top 8 most visited paid-for attractions in England

There are plenty of top attractions in England that do require visitors to purchase a ticket or pay a fee to enter. The list below shows the most visited paid-for attractions in England between 2019 and 2021.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew Gardens was the most popular paid attraction in 2021, with 1.96 million visitors, followed by Chester Zoo with 1.6 million visitors. Other popular paid attractions in England include RHS Garden Wisley (1.41 million visitors) and Windermere Lake (1.06 million visitors).

Again, visitor numbers dropped from 2019 to 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, but all of the top paid-for attractions saw a recovery in visitors in 2021, albeit not to the same numbers as in 2019.

Source[4]

UK family holiday spending statistics

According to Property Investor Today, (28%) of Brits would only pay between £251 and £499 for a week’s holiday in the UK. A quarter of people would pay between £500 and £749. Interestingly, these budgets do not meet the current market costs, with a week-long staycation in St Ives costing £1,263, and a week in Bournemouth costing £958.[5]

Two-thirds of Brits don’t think about money on holiday

A survey of 2,500 Brits conducted by Staysure revealed that two-thirds of Brits (66%) ‘won’t put a price on having fun’, and don’t like to think about money when they’re on holiday. On average, a UK holidaymaker allocates £420 per person as a weekly spend while on holiday.[6] UK holidaymakers spend up to £4,000 on holidays per year, whether those trips are at home or abroad.

83% of Brits prioritise accommodation when budgeting for a holiday

When planning for a holiday, 83% of Brits think first about where they are going, with 83% budgeting for their accommodation as a priority. This is closely followed by spending money (81%) and transportation (80.5%). 16-24 year-olds are the biggest group of people that plan to spend money on holiday, and they budget more for this than anything else.

77% of 16-24 years olds budget for having holiday spending money in comparison to 72% of Brits who budget for accommodation. 62% of Brits set themselves a daily budget when on holiday. People over 55 were less likely to have budgets, which may be because they have more financial flexibility if they feel like splashing the cash on an indulgent purchase or a luxury meal.

The majority of Brits (82.5%) budget up to £60 per day to cover food, drink and family activities when on holiday.

1 in 5 Brits don’t stick to their holiday budget

(17.49%) of Brits rarely or never stick to a holiday budget. A quarter of these are over 55s, (26.38%). This is in comparison to 60% of 16-24 year olds who often stay within their budget. 1 in 4 people blow their budget by £41-50 per day. (19.39%) claimed to overspend by an average of £67 per day.[6]

Cash is still popular for staycations

According to a Post Office survey in 2022, which focused on British staycationers’ spending habits, 76% of British travellers have gone on a UK-based holiday in the last five years (between 2017-2022). Over half of Brits planned a holiday in the UK in 2022 rather than going abroad.

The survey also suggested that despite the increase in popularity of digital spending methods and cashless alternatives, cash was still the number one method of payment for Brits during a staycation.[7] British holidaymakers apparently carry twice as much cash with them when on holiday in the UK compared to their everyday lives, with many people carrying an extra £50 more in their wallets. 40% of people surveyed claimed that carrying cash enabled them to budget more easily and keep track of their spending.

When looking into situations where Brits were most likely to use cash for holiday spending, paying for ice cream was the top reason, followed by paying for parking and tipping. 71% of Brits that went on a staycation in 2022 took out cash before leaving to go on holiday. No cash for parking was identified as the most common financial problem. A third (31%) admitted to having run out of cash and being caught out. One in five Brits (21%) found themselves without cash for using public toilets. 

Accommodation types

Data from Google search results shows that Uk holidaymakers can be quite specific when it comes to the types of accommodation they look for and the amenities that interest them. By analysing searches relating to the phrase ‘staycation UK’ we found some of the most popular features people look for in their staycation.

The most popular search topics included ‘hot tub’ with 400 monthly searches, and ‘cottage’ with 350 monthly searches. This was followed by searches for other amenities shown in the table below.

Source [8]

How often do UK families travel

Data from a survey on UK family holiday habits found that the average UK family takes 3.4 holidays per year in total, with 1.8 in the UK and 1.6 abroad. Young families with children under 5 take the most holidays each year, with 2.2 in the UK and 1.8 abroad.

People under 45 with no children at home take the fewest holidays each year, with 1.7 holidays in the UK and 1.6 abroad. 

Average number of holidays per person by life stage

Source[9]

How UK families book their holidays

The most common ways for families to book holidays in the UK is online, with four in five (81%) of people choosing to book a trip this way. Other methods of booking holidays included using the phone (15%) and visiting an in-store travel agent (15%). People aged 65 and over were the most likely to book a holiday over the phone, with over a quarter (26%) using this method. Families with children are the most likely group to book a holiday via an in-store travel agent with 22% of people in this category booking a holiday in that way.

Source[9]

Some respondents may have used more than one method for booking their holiday meaning percentages do not add up to 100.

References

[1] The Year of the Big Family Holiday: Brits Set to Spend Over £80bn on Family Holidays this Year – https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4110705.html 

[2] Share of Domestic Overnight Holiday Trips Taken in Great Britain in 2019, by Lifecycle – https://www.statista.com/statistics/1125216/domestic-vacations-in-the-uk-by-family-status/ 

[3] Cornwall Named as UK’s Top Holiday Destination for 2022 – https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/20161284.cornwall-named-uks-top-holiday-destination-2022/ 

[4] Annual Survey of Visits to Visitor Attractions, Visit Britain – https://www.visitbritain.org/annual-survey-visits-visitor-attractions-latest-results 

[5] What is the Ideal Staycation for Today’s Brits? – https://www.propertyinvestortoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2021/6/insight–what-is-the-ideal-staycation-for-todays-brits 

[6] How Do You Budget for Holidays? Staysure – https://www.staysure.co.uk/discover/uk-holiday-budget-report/ 

[7] Cash Still King for UK Staycationers, Post Office – https://corporate.postoffice.co.uk/en/blogs/2022_07/cash-still-king-for-uk-staycationers 

[8]  Ahrefs Google search data –  https://ahrefs.com    

[9] UK Holiday Habits Report, ABTA – https://www.abta.com/sites/default/files/2018-10/Holiday%20Habits%20Report%202018%20011018.pdf