UK summer bookings jump as Britons put off overseas holidays by travel fears

Reports of ‘stampede’ for stays near water amid concerns over cancelled flights, higher air fares and EU border delays

Summer bookings at Britain’s hotels and holiday parks have jumped, compared with last year, as fears about flight cancellations and long delays at EU borders have prompted many UK holidaymakers to stay closer to home this year.

There has been a surge in last-minute bookings for UK holidays amid warnings that airlines will have to raise their fares because of higher jet fuel bills that have resulted from the war in the Middle East.

A new EU border check system is also causing hours-long delays at big airports in continental Europe, with airlines saying some flights are leaving only half full.

Raoul Fraser, the founder of the holiday park operator Lovat Parks, said summer bookings had jumped 35% compared with last year.

“People are booking as we get closer to the school holidays and more confident that we are going to have good weather in July,” he said. “With everything that is going on in Iran, many people do not want to go anywhere east of southern Europe and a lot of money is coming into the UK market.”

Fraser suggested that reports of long queues and missed flights at some European airports because of the EU entry-exist system (EES) was also putting people off booking holidays abroad.

“People are also concerned about there being four- or five-hour long queues at airports in Europe, especially older people and families with young kids,” he said.

Matthew Price, the chief executive of Awaze, the European holiday rental group behind the Cottages.com and Hoseasons brands, said there had been a “stampede” to UK holiday accommodation near water.

Summer bookings for stays near lakes and lochs were up 12% on last year, with riverside properties also 12% higher. Seaside towns such as Whitby, Bridlington and Newquay were among the most popular destinations, Price said.

“Breaks closer to home are really appealing. Holidaymakers are taking advantage of the warmer weather, booking spontaneous getaways where they can enjoy a dip and escape the heat, Price added.

The accommodation website Booking.com also reported searches among UK travellers for domestic summer trips were up 10% for this summer, compared with last year. The biggest rises in interest were for Liverpool, the Lincolnshire coastal town of Ingoldmells and London. Keswick in the Lake District ranked fourth.

Meanwhile, Waitrose has said it is preparing for what it predicts will be the “biggest staycation summer on record”. Sales at the are expected to surge at branches in popular holiday destinations – such as Menai Bridge, Anglesey, where they are projected to rise 23%. The supermarket chain forecasts sales increases of 17% in Truro, Cornwall; Bridport, Dorset; and East Cowes, the Isle of Wight.

Sinead O’Connor, a travel analyst at the market research company Mintel, said that while UK consumers were still more likely to opt for an overseas trip over a domestic one, there had been a 5% rise in staycation plans this summer.

“Although Europe also remains a popular choice, reports of queues at the border gives Britons pause for thought, with 39% of consumers saying that the introduction of the entry-rxit system has put them off travelling in Europe.”

Abta, the UK travel industry body, found 38% of potential holidaymakers had delayed their decision to book this summer, after months of headlines of travel disruption and restrictions because of the Iran war, speculation around jet fuel prices and availability and queues caused by the EES.