Hospitality Today Spring 2017 | Page 25

The research reveals that the average British budget for UK breaks is £800 with over a fifth (22%) of holidaymakers planning to spend more than £1000 on their UK getaways. During their staycations, Brits also expect to spend an average of £309 on accommodation, £152 on dining out and £121 on shopping, if they were to spend time holidaying in the UK this year. hospitalitytoday.com | 25 International holidaymakers influenced by Brexit The majority of international holidaymakers (51%) report that the vote to leave the EU has had no impact on their likelihood to visit the UK, and nearly a third (31%) reported that they are more likely to visit the UK than before the Referendum. However, the study also highlighted the role of the UK as a tourism hub with nearly a quarter (24%) of those who said they would be less likely to visit the UK post-Brexit citing worries about onward travel to other European destinations. This was especially important for guests from Australia (44%) who are potentially looking to combine their visit with multiple European destinations owing to the longer travel distance. Visas are also a concern as of the 10% of international tourists who said they are less interested in visiting the UK today than 12 months ago- nearly 1 in 5 (19%) cite this as a worry. Mike Saul, Head of Hospitality & Leisure at Barclays, said: “2017 looks set to be a strong year for the British hospitality sector with both domestic and international visitors increasingly intent on spending more time here. “While the impact of a weak sterling, at least temporarily, has boosted the UK’s international appeal, underlying this increase is the quality of our hospitality industry today and the UK’s enduring appeal as a truly world class destination. Those holidaymakers who are more likely to visit today than 12 months ago are doing so for a range of reasons including the effect of UK operators’ advertising campaigns, the attraction of British TV programmes that have gone global and a case of simply having more money available to spend on holidays from which the UK is set to benefit.” Other international trends revealed by the research include the regions visitors are keenest to visit, with London (67%) and Scotland (44%) topping the list. Interest in Oxford and Cambridge is also notably higher for Chinese guests. Overall, tourists are eager to experience the UK’s landmarks (51%), history and museums (44%) and natural landscapes (41%). The average length of a UK visit is nine days and the average budget for planned holidays this year per family, including airfares is £3443. However, American and Chinese guests blow even larger budgets on their planned holidays this year with average spends of £5230 and £5424 respectively. Visitors from China and the US also have significantly larger shopping budgets, with visitors from