Staycations: the new norm?

Kara Evans, Culture Editor & English Student at University of Liverpool

With Covid-19 severely restricting Britons’ travel abroad, focus turns to staycations within the UK becoming a new norm. Uncertainty still looms over the possibility of vaccine passports being needed for international travel, a proposed traffic light system for which countries are authorized to visit from the UK and which are not, or a negative test result in order to holiday. These hurdles to jump in order to go abroad means more people than ever will choose to stay within the country for their vacations this year.

While hotels and B&Bs remain closed until 17^th May at the earliest, travellers are restricted to staying at their own second home or booking through sites such as AirBnB and Booking.com in order to secure self-contained accommodation. This type of accommodation is defined as a place which does not require you to share a bathroom, entry/exit, kitchen, or sleeping area with people other than those in your group. Self-contained accommodation is allowed to be visited by members of the same household or bubble from 12^th April, which points toward a slight easing of restrictions while still maintaining control over the spread of the virus.

The resilience of AirBnB is demonstrated in their Q4 2020 revenue only being down by 22% year-over-year, and the company stays hopeful for a rebound in revenue as the lifting of restrictions funnels those who are desperate for a getaway into their business. Not only does their Q4 2020 statistics demonstrate the buoyancy of AirBnB during these times, it also illustrates the company’s popularity among holidaymakers. The nature of AirBnB and the uniqueness of some of its properties offers holiday-makers an abundance of choice – from a secluded treehouse in the High Weald Area of Natural Beauty region in Kent, to a modern flat in the bustling centre of Manchester; there really is no limit.

The rise of staycations will not only satisfy those eager to travel once more, but it will also support individuals, small businesses, and tourism in British towns and villages which are more off the beaten track. This then has a knock on effect of being better for the environment as pollution from the aviation industry is significantly reduced, and travellers will opt to car-share or utilise national public transport in order to reach their vacation.

Overall, domestic travel is quite possibly the new norm for now, but whether staycations are here to stay remains to be proven.

Exclusive Offer: Get £100 off your Summer Internship Experience at Amplify Trading by clicking here or using our unique discount code at the checkout: MSAmplifySummer2021. Participants graduate from the course with a Diploma from the London Institute of Banking & Finance. For more information about the course, click here.