January 16th, 2024, Clifton Mark
New year, new travel plans. Where are Britons headed in 2024? YouGov DestinationIndex is a tool that tracks consumer attitudes towards different travel destinations across 16 different metrics. Purchase Intent measures how likely consumers are to choose a destination the next time they plan a trip. Below are the top destinations chosen by adult Britons, as measured in the last 30 days.
Domestic holidays are the most popular among Britons, with 17% saying they’re most likely to visit somewhere in the UK. However, this is followed closely by Spain, which was the top destination at this time last year.
Continental tours are also calling to UK consumers, with European destinations making up seven of the top 10 destinations. After Spain, a clear leader among foreign destinations, Greece and Italy were selected by 8% each as their most likely visit. New York City is the only destination on the list smaller than a country, with 3%. Another 6% say they’re most likely to visit the USA.
Why are these destinations so popular? DestinationIndex tracks several metrics that provide more granular insight into travellers’ preferences. The chart below compares the top three destinations according to Quality, Impression, Value and Satisfaction.
The UK’s popularity as a destination may have more to do with convenience than desire. Although it’s the most likely place to visit for Britons, it doesn’t receive top marks on any of the metrics under analysis.
Value is another net score which represents how many consumers believe the destination represents good versus bad value for money. Even though many Britons choose the UK as a travel destination, they grant it a relatively low Value score of 8. This is less than a third of Greece’s value score (25) and just over a quarter of Spain’s (31)
Britons also have the worst overall feelings about their home country compared to the others. Impression measures the general positive or negative feelings associated with a destination. The UK’s impression score is 41. Respondents feel moderately better about Greece (45) and best about Spain (54).
Despite these grumbles, the UK does quite well on the Satisfaction metric. Nearly as many Britons (53) say they are satisfied visitors of the UK as of Spain (55). Greece, which may attract fewer overall visitors, scored 34.2 on this metric.
Spain also leads in Quality, with a score of 27 compared to 24 for the UK and 22 for Greece.
More Britons plan to visit the UK, Spain, and Greece than any other destination tracked by YouGov. While Britons have comparable perceptions of the quality of these three destinations, they set them apart on other metrics. For example, Britons have less positive feeling towards their home country than either Spain or Greece. They also rate continental destinations as providing far better value for money.
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YouGov DestinationIndex tracks consumer perceptions toward travel destinations on a daily basis in 30 countries worldwide.
A destination’s Purchase Intent score is based on the question: “Of the destinations considered, which are you most likely to visit? “
A destination’s Quality score is based on the question: “Which of the following destinations do you think represents GOOD/POOR quality?”
A destination’s Value score is based on the question: “Which of the following destinations do you think represents GOOD FOR MONEY? By that we don’t mean ‘cheap,’ but that the destinations offer a visitor a lot in return for the price paid. / Now which of the following destinations do you think represents POOR VALUE FOR MONEY? By that, we don’t mean ‘expensive,’ but that the destinations do not offer a visitor much in return for the price paid.”
A destination’s General Impression score is based on the question: “Overall, of which of the following destinations do you have a generally POSITIVE/NEGATIVE impression?”
A destination’s Customer Satisfaction score is based on the question: “Of which of the following destinations would you say that you are a SATISFIED/ DISSATISFIED visitor?”
All of the above are delivered as net scores between –100 and + 100.
Data referenced in this article from surveys of adults aged 18 years and above residing in the UK between 11/12/23 to 9/1/23. Learn more about DestinationIndex.