Staycation alive and well at Easter

Almost 10.5 million people will holiday in the UK this Easter, with 90% of them taking a break in England.

The estimates - which come as ABTA said two million people would be travelling on Easter holidays - come from VisitEngland's Easter Holiday Trip Tracker.

The annual survey shows that 26% of British adults plan at least one overnight trip away from home over the next two weeks which includes Easter. This is up four percentage points compared to this time last year.

Only six per cent are planning to travel overseas, the study shows.

Twenty one per cent plan a trip in Britain with 19% taking that break in England, representing a three percentage point increase from 2009 and a five percentage point increase from 2008.

Of those who plan to take an overnight trip in the next couple of weeks, 46% intend to visit friends and family while 40% intend to go for a holiday.

Forty per cent plan to take their trip to a city or town, 30% plan to visit the countryside or a village and 29% are planning a visit to the seaside.

Adults from Greater London are more likely than those from other regions to say they are planning to take an overnight trip over Easter with 37% planning to take a trip compared to 26% of adults overall.

VisitEngland chairman Lady Cobham said: "It's great to see that England is the destination of choice for those Brits planning a holiday in the UK this Easter time.

"England is fast becoming an intrinsic part of the UK holidaymaker's annual holiday mix.

"Sixty seven per cent of Brits feel they don't make the best use of their spare time. With so much on offer from stunning coastline to buzzing cities, and great festivals and events across the country there's every opportunity to get out and about and enjoy every minute that England has to offer." Report by Phil Davies Travel Mole website.

Published: 1.4.2010