What is a staycation?

A staycation is a combination of the words "stay" and "vacation" and refers to a vacation closer to home. In British English, this is called a "holiday".

In recent years, many people have taken to “short getaways.” No matter where you are in the world, your customers are likely considering a staycation or a short getaway. Here’s how to take advantage of this travel trend.

The rise of staycations

Staycations are becoming increasingly popular around the world. The main reasons include:

• Convenience : No need to travel long distances to get around.
• Economical : Usually less expensive.
• Simplicity : Relatively easy to arrange.
• Low carbon footprint : Reduce environmental impact.

This is the only form of travel that has grown during the pandemic. Faced with ever-changing international travel restrictions, people prefer to choose stress-free vacations to reduce the risk of cancellations and last-minute changes. Many tourists are trying a staycation for the first time and taking advantage of special hotel deals.

As the pandemic continues and potential variants of the coronavirus emerge, staycations have become a good option for people to relax and escape from their home environment.

Staycations in the UK: The rise of a new form of travel

In the UK, domestic travel was already quite popular before the pandemic, with a market size of nearly 25 billion pounds. Although consumption fell in 2020, staycations have attracted more attention.

Post-lockdown, search interest in “staycation” surged, growing more than 500% year-on-year last year.

Hotel industry: the most affected and the main beneficiary

What do staycations mean for travel companies?

This mode of travel usually does not involve air or sea transport, and in most cases only involves short-distance car, bus or train travel. Therefore, the hotel industry is the biggest beneficiary.

Independent hotels and small local hotel chains have adapted to this type of traveler, often providing websites and marketing materials in the local language, but larger hotels need to review their websites to ensure they meet the needs of local travelers.

If you are a large hotel chain, review each hotel’s website and consider the primary languages and short-haul demand in nearby regions. These markets are not top inbound markets but are easy to reach potential customers. For example, if your location is near a country border, focus on foot traffic and transportation hubs.

Strategies to increase occupancy rates include:

• Adjust marketing strategies to adapt to the local market.
• Provide content in local languages.

“Home vacation” is becoming a trend

According to Google Trends, searches related to staycations have increased over the past five years (in countries including Spain, UK, US, France, Germany, Singapore, Thailand, Russia and worldwide).

How to Capitalize on the Staycation Trend

When targeting your market and attracting customers, be sure to consider the following elements:

• Pay attention to travel requirements in nearby areas. If there are stricter control measures in surrounding areas, it is necessary to strengthen the protection of potential markets.
• Create innovative advertising strategies to attract nearby residents, such as by promoting special sales.
• If surrounding areas are closed on Sundays and your city is open for business, take advantage of that.

Adjust marketing strategies to target neighboring areas and self-driving travel markets. Here are some suggestions:

• Dedicate part of your paid advertising budget to local search.
• Look for customers arriving by road.
• Offers include parking, early check-in or late check-out.
• Include “staycation” as a keyword in your offer.

If you need to know related search terms in other languages, you can contact Arrow Translation and we will be happy to assist you.

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