Move over St Ives, Skegness named the UK’s best value staycation destination
New data released today by Vrbo®, a global expert in family holiday rentals since 1995, reveals its most in demand UK staycation destinations where British families found the best value for money on Vrbo in 2020. And, it was Skegness in Lincolnshire that came out on top(1).
Summer in Skegness?
Despite the pandemic putting a halt to many pre-planned trips last year with families either postponing or cancelling their holidays overseas, there’s clearly no place like home with Brits using this time to rediscover their love for the UK.
For British families searching to find their domestic holiday-oasis while trips abroad were restricted in 2020, Vrbo offered families a wide range of properties across the UK’s family favourite destinations. Of these popular family hotspots, 90% saw Vrbo UK holidaymakers pay on average £50 or less for their whole holiday-home per person, per night.
The East coast of England provided British Vrbo customers with the best value holiday in 2020, with Skegness enjoying a significant rise in popularity last year. Famous for its award winning beach and retro amusements along the seafront, the destination offered holidaymakers a much-needed coastal getaway for an average paid price of just £21 per person a night on Vrbo.
Moving further south, Clacton-on-Sea came in at a close second at an average of £24 per person a night. As the largest and busiest of the Essex Sunshine Coast, Clacton-on-Sea also saw one of the biggest decreases in nightly holiday rental costs paid per person too, reducing by 9% compared to 2019.
2019’s best value UK destination of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, revealed by Vrbo last year, also proved value for money in 2020 too at £25 per person a night, despite the average nightly cost increasing by 12% compared to the year before. Rounding off the top five best value destinations are Lowestoft in Suffolk at an average of £29 per person a night and another Norfolk favourite, Heacham at £30 for the same offering. Both destinations also saw a slight increase in nightly costs paid by Vrbo holidaymakers during 2020.
Home sweet home – city breaks and seaside escapes
With British families embracing the fresh sea air after being cooped up during lockdown, seaside destinations were a clear favourite for a trip away in 2020. Although London proved to be UK’s most popular staycation destinations in 2020, it was the UK’s seaside destinations which reigned supreme. Vrbo saw two of Britain’s famous Cornish seaside escapes, Newquay and St Ives dominate the top of Vrbo’s most popular staycation destinations list, coming in at second and third place respectively.
With just over 30 miles separating the two popular coastal towns, British families paid on average £46 per person and night to stay in Newquay in 2020, whilst a trip to St Ives saw domestic holidaymakers paying slightly more with an average of £51 per person a night on Vrbo.
Whitby in North Yorkshire entered the list at number four, averaging £41 per person/night, followed by Edinburgh at number five, with an average nightly rate paid of £44 per person, per night – a 9% decrease on 2019.
Interestingly, of the top ten list, it’s only these two famous UK capitals, London and Edinburgh, which became more affordable in 2020 after both destinations saw a slight decrease in the average nightly rate paid compared to the year before. Yet, despite having one of the highest nightly average rates paid by Vrbo UK customers in 2020, at £64 per person per night, Vrbo saw families pay less this year for a trip to London, with the average nightly rate decreasing by 7% in 2020 vs 2019.
What does this summer have in store for British families?
Following an unprecedented year for travel, British families are showing optimism about their travel plans this year. According to Vrbo’s data (2), the UK is in fact set for a summer full of travel, with over half (53%) of British families opting for a summer break in 2021. The promising news from the vaccine rollout also encouraged 78% of British families to say they do believe they will be able to take a staycation in 2021, whilst 64% expect to be able to also travel abroad at some point during the year.
After the challenging year of 2020 for so many, it’s unsurprising that nearly half (47%) of families say they want to use their next holiday to relax and de-stress. Vrbo can also reveal that family togetherness is now more important than ever, with many British families re-igniting their love of travelling together and more than 4 in 10 (43%) hoping to be able to create new memories together in 2021 on family holidays.
Dr Angharad Rudkin, an expert in family psychology says: “Holidays provide a welcome break from the busy routines of everyday family life. They offer an opportunity for individuals to relax and recalibrate, and also for families to spend quality time together. As a result of the pandemic, not being able to go on holiday has meant that parents and children have missed out on the rest and relaxation this typically brings.
Families who are tired of being stuck at home and fed up with seeing the same faces every day will most certainly enjoy a change of scene when holidaying this year, as well as having the chance to exercise their social muscles and also embrace time away from screen. ‘Mastery’ and ‘pleasure’ are two corner stones of mental health. When we learn to do something new, and when we do something purely because it’s fun, then we are more likely to feel good about ourselves and our lives. Holidays give us the perfect opportunity to do this!”
The 2021 UK hotspots
Seaside destinations were a hit with British families in 2020 and according to Vrbo, 2021 will see holidaymakers embrace the coastal fresh air once again.
Cornwall has topped Vrbo’s list of the UK destinations (3) its UK customers are very interested in for this summer (June – August 2021), mirroring last year’s popularity of Cornish seaside destinations such as St Ives. Its neighbouring county of Devon, home to The English Riviera, is also proving to be a popular staycation destination for British families looking to escape to the coast this summer, entering the list at number two. Norfolk, Dorset and Caithness, a historic county in Scotland round off the top five.
Karen Mullins, Market Insights Lead for Vrbo says: “Our latest findings show that despite a year of postponed and cancelled holidays, this year will be THE summer for UK staycations. Seaside destinations such as Skegness and Clacton-on-Sea will provide holidaymakers with sun, sea and sand – perfect for families looking to make new memories in 2021, whilst also getting the best value for money.
It’s particularly great to see families fall back in love with their home country once again and support local businesses. Vrbo’s Family Holiday Insider can help holidaymakers find inspiration on new places to visit at home and abroad with their families, when it’s safe to do so.”
As a global expert in family holiday rentals for 25 years, Vrbo, has rounded up some remarkable properties available to book this summer in Vrbo’s most popular and best value UK staycation destinations. These Vrbo properties also offer flexible cancellation policies to provide British families with peace of mind when booking their next staycation getaway.
Unless stated differently, the data shown is based on an online survey, conducted by Atomik Research among 7007 parents with kids under 15 years old from the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. The research fieldwork took place on 3 – 7 December 2020. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.
(1) All prices and rankings shown are based on demand and prices actually paid by Vrbo UK customers per person/night between 1st January-31st December, 2020 compared with the same period in 2019, calculated by dividing the average nightly price of the property by the maximum number of people it sleeps
The prices shown are in local currency, reflecting both movements in currency and holiday home pricing. All prices are rounded to the nearest pound sterling and the percentages are rounded to the nearest percentage point.
(2) An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research among 2001 adults aged 18+ from the UK, with at least one child under 15, who had travelled as a family in the past 5 years. The research fieldwork took place on 15-19 January 2021. Atomik Research is an independent creative market research agency that employs MRS-certified researchers and abides to MRS code.
(3) Most searched for UK destinations on Vrbo UK in January 2021 for stay dates in June, July and August 2021.
The most in demand domestic holiday destinations for Vrbo UK holidaymakers in 2020:
- London
- Average price paid per person per night in 2020, £64
- Price -7% up on 2019
2. Newquay, Cornwall
- Average price paid per person per night in 2020, £46
- Price +20% up on 2019
3. St Ives, Cornwall
- Average price paid per person per night in 2020, £51
- Price +15% up on 2019
The best value domestic destinations for Vrbo UK holidaymakers in 2020:
- Skegness, Lincolnshire
- Average price paid per person per night in 2020, £21
- Price increase by +2% on 2019
2. Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
- Average price paid per person per night in 2020, £24
- Price down -9% on 2019
3. Great Yarmouth, Norfolk
- Average price paid per person per night in 2020, £25
- Price increase by +12% on 2019
High interest UK summer destinations for on Vrbo UK (January 2021):
- Cornwall, England
- Devon, England
- Norfolk, England
- Dorset, England
- Caithness, Scotland
- Cumbria, Cumberland, England
- Pembrokeshire, Wales
- North Yorkshire, England
- Northumberland, England
- Isle of Wight, England