VisitEngland has published the results of wave 30 of its consumer sentiment tracker, which is based on fieldwork conducted between 4-9 May among a nationally representative sample of adults.
The accommodation types most likely to be used on overnight trips this spring are ‘camping/caravan’ (41%) in the top spot, followed by private home’ (38%) ‘commercial rentals’ (e.g. holiday cottages) and ‘hotel/motel/inn’ (both at 36%). The pattern for summer trips is broadly similar.
Other pieces of good news are that almost half of the adult population now thinks the ‘worst has passed’ regarding the COVID situation and only 12% believe the ‘worst is still to come’ (down from 18%).
People’s appetite for risk is slowly climbing and around half of adults anticipate taking more, or the same number, of overnight domestic trips between now and end of the year compared to normal.
The South West remains the lead region for spring and summer trips and, although it still dominates, its share has dipped slightly this wave – especially for spring trips. The leading destination type for spring trips is ‘traditional coastal/seaside town’ (33%) just ahead of ‘countryside or village’ (29%).
See the full report on wave 30 of the Sentiment Tracker here.