Staycation boom expected this half-term as nearly 400,000 Brits head to Cornwall

The southwest of England includes some of the most popular spots for domestic holidays

Go west: Almost 400,000 holiday-makers are expected in Cornwall over half term week (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

An influx of tourists is expected to descend upon the southwest of England this weekend as the May half-term kicks off amid a forecast of sunnier weather.

Cornwall and Devon are likely to see some of the biggest spikes in visitor numbers, with holiday cottages and glamping sites reporting a surge in bookings between 29 May and 7 June.

LastMinute-Cottages.co.uk reported a 160 per cent increase in bookings during May half-term compared to the same period in 2019, with 91 per cent of properties across the UK already reserved.

Some 99 per cent of the company’s listings in the southwest counties of Cornwall, Devon and Dorset have been booked for next week.

Matthew Fox, CEO and co-founder of LastMinute-Cottages.co.uk, said: “The southwest of England has always been one of our most popular destinations for holiday makers.

“However, this year with holidays abroad still off the cards for most, it has been even more popular with people desperate to get to the beach and enjoy the first glimpses of summer temperatures. One in five of all UK bookings on our site this year have been for Cornwall and Devon.”

CoolCamping.com saw a similar uplift in bookings.

James Warner Smith, editor at CoolCamping.com, tells The Independent: “Bookings for half term this year are up by 300 per cent in the southwest of England compared to May half term in 2019, with Cornwall among the very busiest locations – half term stays there have increased by over 400 per cent.”

Data from Visit Cornwall shared with The Independent shows that 390,638 trips are expected to be made to the county next week, while 20 per cent of all visits in the month of May are due to take place over the bank holiday weekend.

In fact, 36 per cent of Britons are making the most of the predicted warm weather this bank holiday and are heading to the coast, according to a survey of 2,000 people conducted by Travelodge.

Key findings included that over a third (35 per cent) of Britons feel that the UK needs to get back to “normality”, and that taking a bank holiday break will help kick-start the British tourism industry.

The top bank holiday weekend hotspots reported by those polled included Brighton, Blackpool, Cornwall, Bournemouth and Bridlington.

Forecasting by the RAC reveals that drivers have firm plans to take 7.2 million trips to see friends and family between Friday and Monday, the first bank holiday weekend where Britons are allowed to see people inside.

The RAC found that an extra 3.6 million car journeys are due to be taken at some point over the weekend, depending on the weather. It warns that there will be a “sudden surge in journeys” if the sun shines, with routes to the coasts and hills particularly clogged up.

RAC research shows that only 11 per cent of drivers aren’t planning leisure trips this weekend, a far lower number than previous bank holidays spent in lockdown.

“With Covid restrictions gradually lifting and some better weather on the horizon at last, we’re anticipating large numbers of drivers to be venturing out and about over the bank holiday weekend,” said RAC patrol of the year Ben Aldous.