The number of tourist visits to the UK has risen year on year with 8.3 million visits in the second quarter of 2011 compared to 7.8 million in the same period last year, a 7.4% rise.
The majority of tourists visiting the UK are from the United States and Europe where economies have performed poorly over the last twelve months. While this has not been enough to prevent people vacationing abroad, it has impacted on the amount people are prepared to spend when on holiday.
This has led to a rise in the number of tourists booking private holiday rental accommodation instead of hotels, according to the research by new travel accommodation website, WhereToSleep.co.uk.
The number of private holiday rental bookings in the UK has risen by nearly a tenth, 8.5%, over the last five months. The average UK holiday room rent is now £55 per night compared to a hotel room which currently averages at £83 per night.
‘Despite the gloomy economic outlook, holidays are still incredibly important to people. Individuals are reluctant to cut out their annual vacation altogether and are instead looking for ways to cut costs when abroad,’ said Radek Dobrolecki, director of WhereToSleep.co.uk.
‘Similarly, home owners are on the lookout for ways of making a little extra money to help cover costs and more and more are choosing to rent out their spare rooms or entire properties on a short term basis to holiday makers. These are much cheaper than hotels on average and give travellers the opportunity to experience living away from the traditional tourist traps,’ he added.
A similar pattern has emerged among UK tourists travelling abroad. In the second quarter of 2011 there were 5.2% more visits abroad by UK residents compared to the same period in 2010, some 14.4 million compared to 13.7 million.
In an independent One Poll survey of 2,000 UK holidaymakers, 50.6% of respondents said the cost of accommodation was the most important factor when deciding where to stay; this is in contrast to the 18% who said cleanliness was most important.
‘For many, the cost of accommodation has become a deal breaker when it comes to holidaying abroad and these travellers are crying out for cheaper alternatives to expensive hotel rooms,’ explained Dobrolecki.
‘In some of the most popular travel destinations private holiday lets are up to 65% cheaper than the average hotel room rate so there are enormous savings to be made as well as experiencing something a little different when travelling abroad,’ he added.
