Brits are prioritising travel in their spending plans this winter, with the search for winter sun driving their choices of destination.
Data released in Tripadvisor’s Winter Travel Index shows that less than a third of British travel consumers (29%) are willing to let “macroeconomic factors” bother them when it comes to how they plan to travel this winter. And a massive 86% of them are intending to splash the cash by spending “at least as much, if not more” on travel than they normally would.
Dubai and Spain prove popular
The destinations set to benefit most from the British love affair with the sun are Dubai and the Canary Islands. Dubai tops their wish list, taking Tripadvisor’s No. 1 Popular International Destination spot. Perhaps less surprisingly, Spain comes out well, with five Spanish resorts in the “most popular” list, all of them in Tenerife or Lanzarote except Benidorm. What’s more, Seville and San Agustin appear among the top ten “fastest growing” destinations, though just how much some Spanish resorts want to be on British holidaymakers’ radar is an interesting question.
Southeast and East Asia also do well, with Bangkok in the “most popular” top 10 and Hong Kong taking the No. 1 spot in Fastest Growing International Destinations, followed by Tokyo, Japan at No. 2. In addition, Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia all make it into the top 10 list too.
January bargains
Timing-wise, Tripadvisor recommends January 2024, as the “most affordable month.” It adds that “the week of January 15th is the most affordable week for Bora Bora, Siem Reap, New York and Paris”, and points to Vietnam as a bargain where average nightly hotel rates are “currently down 58% on the same period last year, which makes it a great choice for travellers looking to stretch their holiday budget a little further.”
And for domestic sun-seekers?
That will be too far to travel for some though. Of the 29% who said they might adjust their plans due to their budget, 32% said they’d make those savings on travel by staying closer to home.
London, Edinburgh and York were name-checked as the top three domestic destinations. Meanwhile, Derry in Northern Ireland is the fastest growing, followed by Broadway in the Cotswolds.
And back on the theme of sun-seeking, it is perhaps no surprise that the elegant seaside town of Eastbourne in East Sussex, near the beautiful hills of the South Downs, is the third fastest growing domestic destination. It is consistently found to be the sunniest place in the UK.
