Region popular for stay-home holidays as Brexit effect attracts foreign tourists

YORKSHIRE is among the most popular destinations for holidaymakers opting for a UK-based 'staycation' in the face of the pound's collapse, a survey reveals.
'Staycations' are becoming more popular'Staycations' are becoming more popular
'Staycations' are becoming more popular

The county vies with Cornwall and London in attracting tourists who have been put off going abroad, the holiday rental firm HomeAway said.

But despite the rise in staycations, many travellers were reported to be cutting down the cost and length of their holidays.

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Elena Novokreshchenova, of HomeAway, said: “Travellers are responding to the fluctuating value of sterling since the EU referendum, by becoming smarter about where and how they spend their holiday time.”

Overseas visitors to Yorkshire and the rest of Britain took advantage of the currency slump, with European travellers staying in UK holiday lettings for a “relatively long” period of six nights and increasing their spend to around £35 a night in the final three months of last year.

Tourists from the US stayed 25 per cent longer and paid 20 per cent than a year ago, thanks to a stronger dollar.

Ms Novokreshchenova said: “Travellers aren’t willing to cut down on their holidays, but rather they are adapting their travel behaviour post-Brexit when holidaying at home or abroad.”

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Market reaction to the Brexit vote has made imported goods and trips abroad more expensive for Britons.

Sterling lost 18 per cent of its value against the US dollar and 10 per cent against the euro in the second half of last year.