‘Third of Britons plan to take UK break’

Nearly a third of people are planning a “staycation” this year, while 44% have abandoned the notion of taking a holiday in 2020 due to Covid-19, a survey has found.

Some 32% of people are planning a UKbased break and it is expected they will spend an average of £480, boosting local economies.

A further one in seven (14%) will take day trips, Nationwide Building Society found.

For nearly threequarters (72%) of those choosing to remain in the UK, concerns around coronavirus are playing a part in their decisionmaking.

Nationwide said its own customer spending data suggests that some of the greatest increases in transactions since lockdown eased have been on holiday camps, hotels, vehicle rentals and flights.

The society’s own customer spending data also shows people have been increasingly likely to put their holiday costs on a credit card this year, rather than a debit card.

Credit cards give people added consumer protections if something goes wrong with goods and services purchased on them.

A fifth (20%) of people surveyed are planning a holiday abroad this year, and the research suggests they will spend £612 on average.

Mark Nalder, Nationwide’s head of payments, said: “Although it’s clear that there remains some trepidation about taking a holiday this year, our data clearly shows that a large number of people are ready to escape their homes to enjoy a change of scenery.”

More than 2,000 people across the UK were surveyed in July.