Bank holiday staycations provide UK economy with £1.75bn boost

An estimated seven million Brits holidayed at home during the August bank holiday weekend, providing the UK economy with a £1.75bn boost.

The figures come from VisitEngland's Trip-Tracker survey survey, which shows that "staycations" have become more popular since Brexit, which has caused the value of the pound to decline steadily, making travel abroad more expensive.

Last year, 6.9 million Brits took a UK overnight holiday trip during the August bank holiday weekend. In 2016 the figure was 5.1 million.

It is a continuation of a trend which has seen more Brits take holidays at home.

From January to December 2017, Brits took 59 million domestic holidays in Great Britain, up 6 per cent on 2016. Brits spent £14.1bn on domestic holidays in Great Britain last year, also up 6 per cent.

The number of Brits taking short-breaks of one to three nights in England was up 7 per cent in 2017 compared to the previous year. Brits are taking almost six million more short-breaks in England than they were a decade ago.

"Tourism benefits communities across the country and the weekend brought a significant boost to businesses and the economy," said tourism minister Michael Ellis.

"The UK has world-class attractions, culture and stunning scenery and I am hugely encouraged that domestic tourism is performing so strongly."