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South West and Domestic

South West England

The South West comprises counties of , / Bath, , , , , , and . It has a population of 5.4 million, representing 10% of the total England population.

Value to Domestic

Overnight trips to the South West represented 19% of the total of trips to England, and 22% of spend, in 2014 – 17.3 million trips and £3.9 billion in spend. There were also 146 million day trips (11% of all day trips in England), with £4.7 billion in spending.

South West trips Total England South West trips (as % of total) Domestic Overnight Trips

Trips (millions) 92.61 17.31 19% Spend (£ millions) 18,085 3,933 22% Day Visits

Trips (millions) 1,345 146 11% Spend (£ millions) 45,101 4,691 10%

Trip Type

Overnight Travel

Over half (55%) of domestic overnight trips taken to the South West are holidays, higher than the national average (44%), and 3 in 10 trips are holidays of 4 nights or more. Trips to the South West are less likely to be non-leisure visits to friends and relatives (10% vs. 15% of all trips in England), or for reasons (9% vs. 15%).

% of South % of trips taken South West Total England West trips by all trip takers trips taken All Overnight Trips (millions) 92.61 100% 17.31 100% All Holidays 40.74 44% 9.52 55% 1-3 night holidays 26.47 29% 4.54 26% 4+ night holidays 14.27 15% 4.98 29% Visiting Friends and Relatives 35.91 39% 5.87 34% Leisure VFR 22.26 24% 4.10 24% Other VFR 13.65 15% 1.77 10% Business Travel 13.55 15% 1.60 9%

Day Trips

As is the case across the , visits to friends and relatives is the top day visits activity in the South West. While day visits in the South West are less likely to be a night out (5% vs. 8%), they are more likely to be a general day out (12% vs. 7%) or to involve outdoor pursuits (10% vs. 8%).

% of South % of trips taken South West Total England West trips by all trip takers trips taken All Day Trips, millions 1,345 100% 146 100% (selected activities) Visiting friends or family 313 23% 33 23% Going out for a meal 131 10% 14 10% Going on a night out 113 8% 8 5% General day out 100 7% 18 12% Undertaking outdoor activities 109 8% 15 10%

Holidays in

As longer holidays are more common in the South West compared to the national average, the average trip length is also longer. Though expenditure per night is less than average by around £7, the longer trip length means that around £40 more is spent on a holiday in the South West than a holiday in England generally.

Domestic Holidays Total England South West trips Average spend per trip £247 £285 Average spend per night £73 £66 Average trip length (nights) 3.37 4.31

Over half (54%) of holiday trips to the South West are to the seaside. Self-catering accommodation is used more commonly in the South West than in England overall (53% compared to 37%), with three in 10 trips (30%) in camping or caravanning accommodation. Holidays to the South West are more likely to be booked in advance than holidays nation-wide, with 39% booked prior to a month before the trip (compared to 33% on average).

The age and social grade profile of those taking holidays in the South West is similar to the national profile, though somewhat less affluent (36% C2DE compared to 33% nation-wide). 28% of those visiting the South West are from the local area, with the South East (20%) and the West (13%) are other key source markets.

Outdoor activities, visiting the beach and visiting visitor attractions are key activities on holidays in the South West.

% of trips taken % of South West by all trip takers trips taken Destination Type

Seaside 32% 54% Large / large 31% 14% Small town 19% 16% Countryside/ 23% 20% Accommodation used Serviced rented 50% 37% Self-catering rented 37% 53% Camping / Caravanning 23% 30% Other self-catering rented 14% 23%

% of trips taken % of South West Cont. by all trip takers trips taken Transport used Public transport 16% 10% Car 79% 85% When booked More than six months before trip 7% 10% Between 2 and 6 months before trip 26% 29% About a month before trip 12% 11% 2-3 weeks before trip 13% 10% In the week before trip 13% 10% Same day / after setting off on trip 1% 1% How booked Booked online 54% 52% On a laptop or desktop PC 40% 39% On a smartphone 3% 2% On a tablet 8% 6% Age groups 16-34 23% 22% 35-54 42% 43% 55+ 35% 35% Social grade AB 39% 36% C1 28% 28% C2 19% 22% DE 13% 14% Children in household 36% 39%

% of trips taken % of South West Cont. by all trip takers trips taken of origin North East 6% 1% Yorks & 13% 4% 9% 5% 9% 7% 7% 9% South East (excluding London) 15% 20% South West 11% 28% 10% 13% North West 13% 5% 3% 1% 5% 8% Activities undertaken History & heritage 23% 22% Arts, culture & entertainment 15% 12% Visitor Attractions 33% 36% and Gardens 14% 14% Events, festivals and exhibitions 11% 10% Outdoor activities (including long 27% 35% walks) Outdoor activities (excluding long 14% 30% walks) Visited beach 20% 37% Special shopping 7% 5% Live sport 3% 2% Special personal event 3% 3%

Trends

On average, holiday trips to the South West have decreased slightly each year since 2008, compared to very slight growth in holidays overall.

Number of domestic holidays Total England South West trips Millions 2008 39.75 10.19 2009 47.01 12.31 2010 43.54 11.09 2011 46.16 11.21 2012 45.99 11.01 2013 44.93 10.86 2014 40.74 9.52 Annual average growth 2008-2014 1% -1%

Appendix

Sub-Regional Volume and Value – Domestic Overnight Tourism - 3-year averages 2012 - 2014

South West Counties

Total trips Total nights Total spend Holiday Holiday Holiday (thousands) (thousands) (£millions) trips nights spend (thousands) (thousands) (£millions)

England 99607 293537 18764 43883 147740 10505 Gloucestershire 1596 4256 254 706 2153 134 Bristol/Bath area 2671 6299 468 927 2312 199 Wiltshire 1352 3762 244 532 1634 162 Somerset 1795 6404 333 1005 3974 225 Dorset 3064 11117 649 1830 7427 476 Devon 4749 18746 1036 2849 12495 757 Cornwall and the 3809 19201 1107 2821 15810 925 Isles of Scilly

South West Local Authorities

Total trips Total nights Total spend Holiday Holiday Holiday (thousands) (thousands) (£millions) trips nights spend (thousands) (thousands) (£millions)

England 99607 293537 18764 43883 147740 10505 364 914 64 133 370 23 Cotswold 405 1120 72 235 721 52 160 524 24 113 429 20 294 703 45 82 196 18 183 478 20 55 190 7 197 499 29 87 240 13 Gloucestershire 1596 4256 254 706 2153 134 Bristol 1512 3177 253 338 600 66 South 123 367 19 25 66 8 Gloucestershire

Cont. Total trips Total nights Total spend Holiday Holiday Holiday (thousands) (thousands) (£millions) trips nights spend (thousands) (thousands) (£millions) Bath and North East 740 1784 161 366 975 102 Somerset 430 1339 54 226 737 32 Bristol/Bath area 2671 6299 468 927 2312 199 290 832 38 75 184 13 Wiltshire 1049 2880 206 453 1441 149 Wiltshire 1352 3762 244 532 1634 162 Mendip 334 1023 52 177 562 35 401 1632 80 282 1213 50 352 1021 65 149 459 45 Deane 239 755 33 52 187 12 431 1754 97 322 1446 79 Somerset 1795 6404 333 1005 3974 225 871 2603 184 491 1569 130 114 333 18 59 213 12 99 235 11 22 48 4 182 610 26 70 303 16 338 1066 64 189 715 41 Purbeck 287 1268 64 212 942 53 664 2741 175 405 1950 130 Weymouth and 497 2141 100 378 1628 84 Portland Dorset 3064 11117 649 1830 7427 476 656 2612 149 427 1979 118 530 1633 85 205 604 36 129 451 20 52 232 12 762 3299 174 598 2764 152 502 1515 78 142 439 23 558 2427 153 353 1573 118 309 1249 62 184 906 45 811 3228 187 607 2427 153 Torridge 245 1080 58 140 680 42 232 759 44 127 454 32 Devon 4749 18746 1036 2849 12495 757 Isles of Scilly 78 476 29 61 420 26 Cornwall 3743 18724 1078 2772 15390 925 Cornwall and the 3809 19201 1107 2821 15810 925 Isles of Scilly