Expedia search data identifies increased demand for UK stays

Expedia search data identifies increased demand for UK stays

A “significant increase” in interest from international and domestic travellers looking to stay in the UK this year has been identified by Expedia. Continue reading

There has been a “significant increase” in interest from international travellers looking to stay in the UK this year has been identified by Expedia.

Searches between January 1 and January 20 showed double digit growth from international travellers looking to come to the UK for breaks in the two weeks around the Easter holidays in April, when compared to the same period last year.

Searches for visits to the UK were highest from the US, Germany, France, Sweden and Italy, while top destinations in the country include London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Yorkshire, Liverpool, Glasgow and Wales.

The latest data from the Expedia group also reveals a healthy rise in hotel demand from international visitors to the UK last year with travellers from Asia, Canada, Denmark, Belgium and Iceland fuelling a year-on-year increase, bolstered by strong demand from the US.

Thailand showed the largest rise in inbound visits to the UK, up by almost 50%; while demand from Hong Kong saw a rise of nearly 40% during 2016.

Hotel demand from the US increased by 25% year-on-year with the average daily rate increasing to £145 in 2016, and visitors choosing to book their UK break an average of 40 days out.

UK mobile demand – app and mobile web – was driven by visitors from the Hong Kong, up by almost 65%, and South Korea, China and India, all up by around 70%.

Visitors from several European countries, such as Belgium, Austria and Spain, also drove a healthy increase in year-on-year mobile demand.

While mobile demand for London showed steady growth, travellers to both the north-east and south-west led the change in increased mobile demand across the UK, up by nearly 70% over 2015.

Oxford and Blackpool saw a rise of more than 60% and East Anglia 65% in 2016.

Travellers to Scotland who booked on mobile increased by more than 45% when compared to 2015, with bookings made over 30 days ahead on average.

Expedia UK and Ireland market management director, Julie Cheneau, said: “Last year was clearly a year of growth, with our data suggesting that we are successfully working with our hotel partners to provide access to valuable international customers.

“We saw a spike in demand from the US following the Brexit result, likely due to a range of factors including a weaker pound, coupled with longer booking windows, which is great news for hoteliers – lengthier booking windows enable them to focus their time on maximising bookings during shoulder periods.”