July 21, 2021 — Published by: Jonny Atter
With so many Britons deciding to holiday in the UK this year – a 52% increase on pre-pandemic years according to Waze – we decided to summon our social listening expertise to reveal where UK residents are spending their staycation, and what conversations they're having.
In the past three months (April to June) the top destinations talked about online, in order of popularity, are:
Conversation peaked ahead of the originally-intended ‘Freedom Day’ (June 21), when more people said they’d be holidaying in the UK given that travel restrictions didn’t appear to be easing.
Though some wanted to travel abroad, there was a 51% rise in conversation compared to the previous 90 days. Key discussion was about how holidaying in the UK would help the economy, support jobs and help the country defeat the pandemic.
Not everyone was happy about a staycation in the UK, however, with an 89% increase in conversation about the cost of UK holidays and how expensive they can be, especially compared to going abroad.
The weather was also a common feature of conversation online. Some were lucky to have great weather and hoped it would continue, while others hoped for consistent weather as it had been shocking.
The good news about the staycation surge is that we’re discovering the gems on our doorsteps, with more of us appreciating what the UK has to offer, such as its fantastic coastline.
These new discoveries are also helping Brits connect and share travel advice, and we saw conversations include advice on the best beaches to visit, where to eat, and what’s on offer. So why not make the most of the ‘hive mind’ and see what your followers and connections suggest as a great UK holiday.
We love social listening at Battenhall. We have a number of tools to help us spot conversations and trends, and an expert team of social-savvy Ballers to extract key insights.
In this short study it helped us show where the most popular UK holiday rentals might be in 2021, but we often use our social listening skills to inform clients and brands that we work with. We can monitor useful engagement opportunities and use trend insights to inform the awesome content strategies we craft.
If you’d like to find out more about how we work, or how we could work with you, get in touch.
We look after brand profiles on social media, and we're proudly the world's #1 at what we do. Named The Drum's social media agency of the year for the last three years running. Get in touch! hello@battenhall.com
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