The latest UK holidaymakers report 2022

After what feels like an age of being stuck in our homes, 2022 has been a year when holidays have come back with a bang! Restrictions have eased both at home and overseas and, at times, we’ve been almost overwhelmed with holiday options.

Even though the opportunity to travel abroad has returned, it seems that the appeal of staycations is still strong, with interest in UK holidays running at an all time high.

We wondered what Brits had been doing for their 2022 holidays - have we all rushed back to travel abroad, or have we made the most of hidden gems in the UK?

Holidaymakers Report 2022

We partnered with CensusWide, who are experts in survey consultancy, to ask over 2,000 UK residents about their holidays in 2022. Our aim was to discover whether people had been holidaying overseas or in the UK this year, and investigate any patterns and trends emerging.

During the survey, respondents were asked a series of questions about their 2022 holidays. We asked how many holidays they had taken or planned to take in 2022, where they had travelled to, plus a little more about their holiday plans.

Read on to find out more, or view the full results of our UK Holidaymakers survey here.

Results at a glance

Two-thirds of Brits love their staycations

When we asked where people had been on holiday in 2022, we found that almost two-thirds (63%) were holidaying in the UK. However around a quarter of all the people surveyed took more than one break during the year, travelling both within the UK and abroad. So while it’s true that people are still loving exploring the beautiful countryside we have in this country, they’re keen to get back to overseas holidays too.

The cost of living crisis has had a huge influence on holiday habits

The cost of living crisis hit hard in 2022, with four in ten Brits reporting that they were expecting to struggle financially at the start of the year. When it came to making 2022 holiday plans, the South East of England was the region most affected by money concerns.

In our survey, 38% of people said that the cost of living crisis was the biggest influence on their holiday plans in 2022. The only group that didn’t select cost of living crisis as the biggest influencing factor on their holiday plans was 16-24 year olds. Their biggest influence was a need to escape and relax. This would suggest that the younger generation does not yet have the financial pressures and concerns of the rest of the population.

Most people aimed to keep their holiday spend below £1,000

The average spend on overseas holidays in 2022 was between £500 and £2000. The highest proportion of people (19%) kept costs down, spending between £500 and £1000. For breaks in the UK, over half of the people who responded (57%) spent less than £1000. This fits with the influence that the cost of living crisis is having on people’s holiday planning, as they try to minimise their spending.

Maldives named the top dream holiday destination

We asked what people’s dream holiday destination would be. There was definitely a preference for sun soaked locations, with the Maldives topping the list. Australia was next, followed by Dubai, Japan and Hawaii. Despite the hot summer of 2022, it seems that holidaymakers want to enjoy a reliably hot and sunny break!

Cornwall revealed as the top UK staycation destination

Our survey showed that a wide range of destinations are popular for UK-based staycations. Cornwall took the top spot with 17% of the votes, just pipping Wales with 16%. In third place was the Lake District, which took 15% of the votes.

It seems that beach and outdoor holidays are most popular with people staycationing in the UK. Who could resist the golden beaches and rugged coastlines of Cornwall?

Final Thoughts

Our survey shows that people in the UK have been excited to get back to their holidays - whether it’s to an exotic overseas location or just getting further afield in our own country. It’s also clear that money is a serious consideration when planning where to visit - the cost of living crisis and the fear of what is to come is very much at the forefront of people’s minds.

Staycations have proven to be extremely popular, with over two-thirds of people enjoying one during 2022. If you have a favourite UK holiday destination, have you thought about investing in your own holiday home? It gives you the opportunity to visit whenever you like, for as long as you like - and you can set it up to perfectly suit you too.

Why not explore our find a park page, where you can filter by region and county to see some of the best holiday parks the UK has to offer?

How sustainable is your next holiday?

While having the opportunity to travel further afield has allowed us to enjoy some great holidays, there has been a downside too. Longer journeys - and especially ones that take us overseas - are much worse for the environment than staying close to home.

If you’ve ever wondered about the environmental impact of your holiday, you might be interested in our brand new sustainability calculator. By answering a few simple questions you’ll be able to discover the carbon footprint of your UK and overseas holidays - and just how eco-friendly (or not!) they really are.