Holiday park industry statistics

As we are now heading towards the warmer months, many will be turning to book a holiday this year. We thought it would be useful for our audience to look at some of the most up to date statistics relating to the holiday park and tourism industry.

Keep on reading to find out more…

Travel & Tourism trends for 2024:

• Turbulent weather had a negative impact on holiday bookings during the Easter holidays. Across Somerset, the majority of tourism firms reported a drop in Easter trade. A survey for Visit Somerset, the county's tourism association, found two thirds reporting turnover down by up to 5%. (Source: BBC).
• Revenue in the UK Travel & Tourism market is projected to reach US$40.12bn in 2024. (Source: Statista)
• Visit Britain forecasts 39.5 million visits and £34.1 billion spend for 2024. This is a growth of 5% in comparison to 2023. The inbound tourism forecast (spending by overseas visitors in the UK) is the greatest it’s been in recent times.
• There’s a willingness from travellers globally to upgrade their holiday experience on everything from better quality food on board flights (29%) to upgrading to business or first class (20%). (Source: Skyscanner 2024 Travel Trends Report)
• A new 2024 ‘Pitching the Value’ report has been released by the UK Caravan and Camping Alliance (UKCCA) highlighting the economic value and wellbeing impact of the UK holiday parks and campsites sector and its important contribution to UK domestic tourism. The report finds visitors to UK holiday parks and campsites stay 82% longer and spend 12% more than the national tourism average. (Source: RV Business)
• The number of domestic trips has seen fluctuations since 2018, but current stands at its highest level since 2012. (Source: Click Through)

Where we were in 2023:

• Tourism recovered 87% of pre-pandemic levels in January-September 2023, with 2024 will return to pre pandemic levels. (Source: UNWTO)
• 2023 saw a shift in the trend to urban destinations becoming more popular for tourists to visit, with a growth rate of 52% in comparison to 26% growth in ‘sun and beach’ destinations. (Source: Forwardkeys)
• European inbound tourism to the UK is forecast to recover to 95% of visits and 116% of spend. This is the equivalent of 25.8 million visits and £14.4 billion. (Source: Visit Britain)
• In September 2023, inbound visitors spent on average £881 per visit, which is up 12% vs September 2019. (Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS))
• The length of a stay during the first half of 2023 shows the length of a stay was 14% higher than in 2019. (Source: International Passenger Survey (IPS))
• In 2023, a staggering 43 million overnight stay holidays were enjoyed in the UK. (Source: Click Through)

Holidaymaker behaviour trends:

• The credit card brand recorded increased travel spend growth of 9.3% in February 2024. (Source: Investors Chronicle).
• 80% of UK travellers plan to take the same if not more trips abroad in 2024 in comparison to 2023. (Source: Skyscanner)
• 79% of those surveyed in January 2024 plan to make an overnight domestic trip over the next 12 months. This is up from 70% in January 2023. (Source: Visit Britain)
• The top counties for a holiday trip include Greater London (3.87 million), Cornwall (2.1 million), North Yorkshire (2.0 million), Devon (1.8 million) and Lancashire (1.8 million). (Source: Visit Britain)
• 27% of UK travellers see the feel of a holiday destination as an important part of their decision-making going into 2024. (Source: Skyscanner)
• 25% of UK travellers say the cost of hotels determines their choice of destination. (Source: Skyscanner)
• 70% of people are expected to spend the same or more on holidays next year, which is pretty robust. (Source: Travel Weekly)