British holidaymakers rediscovering their own backyard

Despite the slow start to the British summer, the domination of low-cost airlines and discount packaged foreign holidays, over 30 million Britons will take at least one holiday in the UK this year according to latest research from Kwik-Fit. Nearly half (45%) admitted that the desire to explore their own country rather than a foreign land will drive them to do so.

Kwik-Fit’s findings suggest that holidaying at home has become increasingly popular for a variety of reasons: over a third (34%) said that staying in the UK was more convenient than traveling abroad, 31% said it was cheaper and 15% felt it was an easier option with kids. Reflecting Britain’s growing environmental conscience 9% said that staying at home helped to minimise their carbon footprint. A sun seeking 8% were lured by favourable forecasts from weather experts, while 7% cited fear of terrorism as a reason to avoid travelling abroad.

Research also shows that over three quarters (76%) of holiday-at-home Britons use their own car to travel, and despite increased pressure to go green this figure is likely to increase. Indeed motorists that said they were more likely to use their car to holiday in the UK today - compared with five years ago - outweighed those that were less likely to by a factor of four-to-one.

This reluctance to give up taking the car on holiday is perhaps a reflection that Britain’s public transport network isn’t yet seen as a convenient or cost effective green alternative to the car.

August is expected to be peak season for motoring holidays in the UK. In 2006 3.7 million holidaymakers took to the roads, putting an estimated 60,000 extra cars on the road per day. July and September both saw 2.9 million holidaymakers setting off while 2.1 million took a trip in June.

David White, customer services director at Kwik-Fit, commented: “It looks like growing numbers of Britons are planning to holiday in the UK, many of whom appear keen to rediscover the charms that this country holds. With the car providing the major mode of transportation, Britain’s road network is likely to feel the strain again this summer.”

He continued: “Blowouts and batteries are often cited as the two most common reasons why motorists find themselves stranded at the roadside, both of which might well be avoided by a few simple checks before leaving home. Motorists that aren’t sure how to do this are welcome to come to any Kwik-Fit centre for a free check on their tyres, brakes, battery or exhaust."