With the holiday season fast approaching, we asked Mirror readers if they have snubbed a UK break because of the unpredictable weather – but many blamed the sky-high prices instead
Holiday-let owners have suffered a staggering decline in rental bookings this year, with some parts of the UK plummeting by 80 percent – and we asked Mirror readers what they thought.
Interest in staycations soared during the pandemic, when Brits were unable to travel abroad, but poor weather, the cost-of-living crisis, and the saturated market has seen a shift in bookings. Shocking AirDNA data has found a 19 percent increase in short-term lettings available on Airbnb and Vrbo in the 12 months leading up to February 2024, soaring up to 342,000 UK rentals.
Helen Angove, managing director Woodland Collection Holidays in Townshend, Cornwall, told the Guardian that demand in January and February for her four three-bedroom holiday lets fell by around 80 percent, compared to the previous year. She said: “This year we had hardly any bookings at all in January or February. March and April bookings are down 20 percent.
“So many [people] are fed up with the wet weather. They are going abroad to get some sunshine. The second big factor is the massive oversupply of holiday lets. A lot of people thought they could make easy money because of what happened during Covid.”
Mark Taylor, from Taylor Property Group, has been letting out around 30 properties across Bournemouth and Poole in Dorset since before the pandemic. He told the Mirror: “Bookings last year were awful, we had rain throughout July and August.
“This year so far, the weather has been terrible and I don’t think the summer will be nearly as long now. People don’t really book ahead so much now because of the weather.” We asked Mirror readers if they had snubbed a UK holiday break because of the weather, and 51 percent said ‘No’.
Around 1,000 readers took part in our poll, and many voters explained that the sky-high prices were the main reason they have shunned a UK holiday. Taking to the comments, one user voiced: “It’s too expensive to holiday in the UK. I can go round Europe for what it costs for a caravan in UK for a fortnight. Why would anyone bother?”
Another echoed: “The tourists trade and those who have holiday lets, b&bs, caravan parks, cottages no matter what part of the UK you are in are all taking the mick with the extortionate prices they are charging. No wonder people opt for abroad even with restrictions in place plus you get good weather unlike here. You pay over £2000 + for a holiday here, then there’s more or less the same for your food & drinks, as hospitality venues are just as much to blame in UK resort locations and it rains all week.”
A third agreed: “I was astounded at the extortionate costs for 2 people and a little dog in an isolated or rural cottage, we checked out Norfolk, Suffolk, Kent, North Devon, Dorset Cotswolds, not one we could afford at all. This country overcharges for accommodation, food in touristy towns, pubs, and most beaches stink or have nothing there for you to lie down. No van anywhere near for drinks or snacks like we get in Greece, Malta, Canary Islands.”
While a fourth penned: “I always use to have holidays in the UK at dog friendly cottages and near the sea as use to like walking on the beach and swimming but the holiday lets have become so expensive since COVID.”
As another wrote: “I think what has happened is due to the pandemic many places increased prices because they knew they could get away with it, and now they are just being greedy. I understand many things have increased in price but some of the prices being charged for a caravan or even a B&B are just a joke.
“Then you have got to factor in your travel expenses, if you drive fuel is not cheap and if you do not public transport is a rip off and unreliable.” Around 35 percent of voters said they have snubbed a UK break due to poor weather, while 14 percent selected the option ‘Other’.
Sharing their own experience of holiday lets in their area, one reader posted: “If everyone seems to be boycotting holidays at home, how come our small town Salcombe has 1,800 people living here which swells to 19,000 in the summer months. We would love to have our town and beaches back, be able to park and enjoy some peace and quiet.”
Please note that the poll is still live, so these results may change after the article has been published.
You can still vote in the poll HERE to have your say on the topic. Have you snubbed a UK staycation because of the unpredictable weather? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
