British holidaymakers are reconsidering their summer travel plans due to the risk of flight disruption from the Iran war, a new poll for The i Paper has revealed.
Travellers are increasingly nervous about going abroad due to the impact of the conflict, the survey by BMG Research shows – with the proportion of people saying they have already changed travel plans increasing from 12 per cent in March to 18 per cent in April.
In total, 29 per cent of the public said they had made or were considering making a change to their plans, with holiday companies operating in the UK reporting a surge in “staycation” bookings.
Of those changing their plans, 12 per cent are choosing to holiday in the UK rather than abroad, 10 per cent are waiting to decide whether to book a holiday, 4 per cent have already cancelled their trip and 3 per cent have changed travel dates.
The findings have been echoed by UK travel firms who say they have seen an increase in bookings for British breaks this spring and summer.
The ongoing blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has fuelled fears that jet fuel shortages will ground planes across the globe during peak holiday season unless there is a resolution to the stalemate.
In a bid to reassure holidaymakers and help them plan ahead, the government has stepped up its contingency planning to protect holiday flights and lessen disruption this summer, with airlines able to cancel flights weeks in advance, without losing slots, if they face fuel shortages.
Airlines will be allowed to merge flights on routes with multiple trips to the same destination on the same day, meaning passengers could be moved from their original booking to a similar one to save fuel.
Sir Keir Starmer has acknowledged that Britons are going through economic pain due to the war – writing in his Substack this weekend that “it’s hard to swallow that this war has slowed our nation’s progress” but insisting that “because we strengthened the foundations, we are in a better position now to weather this storm”.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander urged Britons to continue planning for their summer holidays as normal and said she had booked a flight with TUI to a Greek island in August.
The BMG poll shows 54 per cent of Britons say they have made some kind of change as a result of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, up slightly on last month.
Among those making changes, 25 per cent report spending less on non‑essential items, such as eating out, while an equal proportion say they are being more cautious about major purchases.
One in five people are changing how much energy they use at home.
While 18 per cent are changing their travel plans, 33 per cent say they were not planning a holiday anyway while 29 per cent are not making a change.
Catherine Lethbridge, pollster at BMG, said the fact that a quarter of people were cutting back on non-essential spending such as eating out “will concern retailers already navigating a fragile consumer environment”.
She added the increase to the proportion of people changing their holiday plans suggests “unease about the conflict is beginning to weigh on longer-term planning, not just day-to-day spending”.
Butlins at full capacity and Airbnb bookings up year-on-year
Fears about flight disruption is leading to a surge in bookings for staycations, UK firms have told The i Paper.
Butlin’s said bookings for summer school holidays are up 20 per cent year-on-year, off-peak breaks for up to the end of May are up 40 per cent, and adult-only Big Weekender breaks are up 20 per cent.
Jon Hendry Pickup, chief executive of Butlin’s, said: “It does feel that there’s been a significant growth in demand for staycations driven by the conflict.
“We have been at full capacity across our three resorts for the Easter break, with late demand up 68 per cent compared to the same period last year. That suggests that guests were holding off booking for longer, perhaps hoping for a swift resolution, before ultimately deciding to stay in the UK.”
Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “We are already hearing from holiday park and accommodation businesses that they are experiencing increased interest in UK breaks for the months ahead.
“Ongoing uncertainty around international travel is understandably leading some consumers to look closer to home.
“The UK has a huge amount to offer staycationers, from coast and countryside, to cities and culture. I hope this interest translates into bookings and trips this summer, in what would be a boost for hospitality and tourism businesses.”
AirBnB revealed that bookings for UK breaks during the May bank holiday weekends have increased by over 15 per cent year-on-year, with Northumberland, Pembrokeshire, Herefordshire, Gwynedd, and Derbyshire among the most booked getaways.
Lisa Marçais, general manager for Northern Europe and MEA, Airbnb, said: “These stays not only offer great value for money, but they are often more accessible than destinations abroad, providing a chance to experience local communities in a more authentic way, as well as supporting local communities and businesses.”
Holiday property owners dropping prices as demand rises
Snaptrip, which operates last-minute holiday rental marketplaces including LateRooms.com, said all of their sites have seen an increase in the number of searches and bookings for UK stays since January.
Many of the homeowners who rent out accommodation through the sites – of which there are 70,000 in total – are now offering cheaper rates because of the increase in demand, the company said, with many reducing minimum stays from seven to two days to take on more bookings this summer.
Customers are frequently referencing concerns over the Middle East conflict when they are booking, Snaptrip CEO Joanna Parker-Davis said.
“Since the start of the Iran war, and in the build up, we saw a change in searches for stays in the UK,” she said. “People are definitely looking for a deal for a staycation.
“We are also noticing that people are starting to look for holidays closer to their date of arrival. They often also book around four weeks before their arrival date.
“I have not seen anything like this before and I have been in the industry 20 years. I predict we are going to have a really good summer for the staycations industry. It is going to be a last-minute market and we are going to see much cheaper accommodation.”
James Shaw, chief commercial officer at Sykes Holiday Cottages, said the company has seen a 2 per cent increase in bookings for August compared to last year, and expects demand to grow further over the coming weeks.
St Ives, the Isle of Skye, and Bath have emerged as the leading destinations for UK family breaks this summer, he said.
The Transport Secretary said the UK was importing more fuel from America while refineries in the UK and West Africa have upped their production, and there is “no current disruption to jet fuel supplies”.
Asked on LBC whether people should continue to book holidays as normal, the minister said: “Yeah, because I think on the basis of information that I have available to me today, all the conversations we’ve had with jet fuel suppliers, airlines and airports, I think the majority of people who are traveling this summer will have a similar experience to that which they had last summer.
“But some schedules, flight schedules, might be trimmed a very small amount, at which point it’s imperative that the traveling public have proper notice, and that’s why we’re launching that consultation this week.”
BMG surveyed a representative sample of 1,521 GB adults between 29 and 30 April. BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by its rules.
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