The Barclays Corporate Banking report, Destination UK: driving growth in the UK hospitality and leisure sector reveals the 2017 holiday and leisure preferences of almost 10,000 people from the UK, continental Europe, the US, Middle East, Asia and Australia.
Among the 63% of international holidaymakers who said they were more interested in holidaying in the UK than this time last year, 31% cited the weaker pound.
Meanwhile, a fifth of respondents said TV programmes like The Crown were driving British appeal, particularly among Chinese (44%) and US (26%) guests, and that high-profile advertising campaigns were having an effect on overseas audiences.
Greater spending power (30%) was also cited as a key reason for greater interest in UK visits.
Barclays’ research also found that the popularity of the “staycation” was continuing to rise, with nearly a third of UK holidaymakers expecting to spend more of their holiday time in the UK this year.
Half of UK respondents choosing a UK break described the familiarity of food, language and travel options as making the UK “hassle free” with 31% now more aware of UK holiday options.
The research found the average British budget for UK breaks was £800 with 22% of holidaymakers planning to spend more than £1,000 on their UK breaks.
Elsewhere, 51% of international holidaymakers reported that the vote to leave the EU had had no impact on their likelihood to visit the UK, and nearly a third reported that they were more likely to visit the UK than before the referendum.
However, the study also highlighted the role of the UK as a tourism hub with nearly a quarter (24%) of those who said they would be less likely to visit the UK post-Brexit citing worries about onward travel to other European destinations.
Mike Saul, head of hospitality and leisure at Barclays, said: “2017 looks set to be a strong year for the British hospitality sector with both domestic and international visitors increasingly intent on spending more time here.
“While the impact of a weak sterling, at least temporarily, has boosted the UK’s international appeal, underlying this increase is the quality of our hospitality industry today and the UK’s enduring appeal as a truly world class destination.
“Those holidaymakers who are more likely to visit today than 12 months ago are doing so for a range of reasons including the effect of UK operators’ advertising campaigns, the attraction of British TV programmes that have gone global and a case of simply having more money available to spend on holidays from which the UK is set to benefit.”
