According to data from trivago, over half (51%) of UK consumers surveyed believe this summer is going to be their best summer yet for travel. Of those who have made firm plans to travel in 2022, 68% have plans to travel in summer and nearly one third (30%) are travelling in autumn.
And trivago’s most recent summer data shows that British travellers aren’t deterred from travel, despite the ongoing obstacles affecting the travel industry; including staff shortages, flight cancellations, airport caps and rising inflation costs.
trivago’s recent Q2 data shows UK consumers are booking rooms in hotels located close to the airport to try and avoid chaos. Searches for hotels located at Heathrow airport were 5 times higher (+471% YoY) in June 2022 compared to June 2021 and increased by 82% over June 2019. Searches for hotels at Gatwick also saw a 1900% increase in June 2022 compared to June 2021.
Findings also show that holiday-goers are making alternative plans to travel over summer, by choosing domestic and local destinations. Over the past month, data shows that 35% of all searches from the UK are for hotels within 50 to 250 km of a user’s local area.
As we enter a cost-of-living crisis, inflation has affected accommodation prices this summer, but those who were early planners have been lucky. Travellers who booked a hotel in London for their summer vacation in Q2 ‘22 paid on average £8 per night more than early planners who booked in Q1 ‘22.
The desire for travel since Covid-19 began is so strong that nearly a quarter of people (23%) would be willing to travel alone this year, and 1 in 5 (20%) are more likely to take short, spontaneous trips post-Covid.
Axel Hefer, CEO of trivago states: “With all the changes to travel over the past two years, it’s no surprise that people are hungry for holiday breaks this summer. Accommodation operators have been extremely busy over this period and have every reason to remain optimistic over the remaining weeks of summer.
“However, as we approach the autumn and winter period, it will be interesting to see if the UK’s appetite to travel remains strong. As we move towards even more economic uncertainty and inflation continues to rise, there will be an impact on accommodation operators and their prices.
“At trivago, we’re positive our price comparison platform will be helpful for a lot of UK travellers in making informed and healthy financial decisions about their holidays as we navigate through economic uncertainty.”