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In 2007, the short-breaks market was worth £9.15bn, representing around 60 million trips away from home by UK residents, taken either abroad or within the UK.

A short break is a `mini holiday' lasting between 1 and 3 nights in accommodation away from home, although the travellers may be staying for free with friends or relatives.

The bulk of these breaks are within the UK (the `domestic' market), accounting for an estimated total of 52.5 million in 2007 and involving spending of approximately £7.23bn. Although a minority of these are packaged breaks involving hotel stays and activities, and possibly public transport, the vast majority of domestic trips are based on free or cheap accommodation (such as family homes or caravan parks).

The most lucrative domestic breaks are those to cities involving hotel stays and, increasingly, either a degree of pampering (with the use of spas or the inclusion of fine meals, for instance) or theatre or concert tickets.

The average domestic break costs less than £150 per trip, whereas a typical break abroad involves spending of more than £250 (even without including transport to the destination).

Breaks abroad are therefore integrated with the mainstream `long holiday' market, often involving major travel groups (tour operators, travel agents, airlines and ferry companies) that are household names. In contrast, the small-scale commercial market for domestic breaks features smaller companies (notably Superbreak, part of Holidaybreak PLC) and the owners of holiday parks or themed attractions.

In 2007, the previous `big four' tour operator groups for holidays abroad were reduced to just two giants: Thomas Cook, incorporating MyTravel and Airtours; and TUI Travel, incorporating the Thomson and First Choice travel brands.

Travelling abroad on a short break has traditionally been to a neighbouring country, with Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges and Dublin having been the main attractions for UK residents for many years, served by a combination of flights, ferries or trains (through Eurotunnel since 1994). The growth of low-cost air routes has altered this pattern, opening up new destinations in more distant European countries (e.g. Italy, the Baltic States and Hungary). Nevertheless, Paris remains the top destination, including the short-break appeal of its Disneyland Resort.

The new St Pancras International terminal opened in London in December 2007, and faster journey times by train have been made possible to Paris and other European cities. These rail improvements come at an important time psychologically because environmental questions are being raised over the spread of low-cost flights.

Consumers interviewed for this report did not, however, seem to share the media's worst fears for the environmental impact of flights. The majority of those surveyed said that they would use a break to share quality time with a partner or children, and a significant proportion said they needed short breaks to get away from their busy lifestyles. Issues such as safety and security and value for money were also much more significant for consumers than environmental concerns.

Even so, Key Note predicts that the environmental issues will be a factor, along with a stuttering economy, in holding back growth in this market for 2008 and 2009. Yet the underlying demand for more travel is strong, and higher growth rates should return by the end of the decade.  
 

Executive Summary

1. Introduction

BACKGROUND AND REPORT COVERAGE

DEFINITIONS

2. Strategic Overview

MARKET DYNAMICS AND SEGMENTATION

Background

The Domestic Holiday Market

The Outbound Holiday Market

Current Market Trends

Market Size and Sector Trends

Table 1: The Total UK Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume and Value (million trips and £m), 2003-2007

Figure 1: The Total UK Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume (million trips), 2003-2007

Figure 2: The Total UK Short-Break Holiday Market by Value (£m), 2003-2007

DISTRIBUTION

Organising and Booking Holidays

Competitive Structure

Outbound Tour Operators

Table 2: Selected Brands Owned by the `Big Two' Travel Groups, 2008

Transport Structure

Accommodation Structure

THE CONSUMER

MARKET FORECASTS

3. Domestic Short Breaks

OVERVIEW OF DOMESTIC HOLIDAYS

Table 3: The Total UK Domestic Holiday Market by Volume and Value (million trips and £m), 2003-2007

THE DOMESTIC SHORT-BREAK MARKET

Market Size

Table 4: The UK Domestic Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume and Value (million trips and £m), 2003-2007

Figure 3: The UK Domestic Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume (million trips), 2003-2007

Figure 4: The UK Domestic Short-Break Holiday Market by Value (£m), 2003-2007

Accommodation for Domestic Short Breaks

Table 5: Accommodation Used on UK Domestic Short-Break Holidays (million trips and %), 2006

Transport for Domestic Short Breaks

Table 6: Transport Used on UK Domestic Short-Break Holidays (million trips and %), 2006

Booking Method on Domestic Short Breaks

Season and Duration of Domestic Short Breaks

Destinations for Domestic Short Breaks

Internal National Destinations

Urban and Rural Destinations

Table 7: Top Ten English Cities or Towns Visited on Domestic Holidays (000 trips), 2006

MARKETING ACTIVITY IN DOMESTIC TOURISM

Tourist Board Activity

Holiday Centres and Villages

Theme Parks

Activity and Entertainment Packages

Festivals and Other Events

4. Short Breaks Abroad

OVERVIEW OF OUTBOUND HOLIDAYS

Table 8: The Total UK Outbound Holiday Market by Volume and Value (million trips and £m), 2003-2007

THE OUTBOUND SHORT-BREAK MARKET

Market Size

Table 9: The UK Outbound Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume and Value (000 trips and £m), 2003-2007

Figure 5: The UK Outbound Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume (000 trips), 2003-2007

Figure 6: The UK Outbound Short-Break Holiday Market by Value (£m), 2003-2007

Accommodation for Short Breaks Abroad

Transport for Short Breaks Abroad

Table 10: Mode of Transport for UK Outbound Short-Break Holidays (000 trips and %), 2002 and 2007

Booking Method for Short Breaks Abroad

Season and Duration of Short Breaks Abroad

Destinations Abroad (Holidays in General)

Table 11: Top Destinations for All Purposes of UK Visits Abroad (000 visits and %), 2005-2007

Short-Break Destinations Abroad

Table 12: Leading Outbound Destinations for Short-Break Holidays by UK Residents (000 visits and %), 2002 and 2007

Table 13: Top Ten Destinations for City Breaks, 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008

MARKETING ACTIVITY IN HOLIDAYS ABROAD

Main Media Advertising

The Promotion of Sea Routes

Marketing by Destination

Current Package Examples

New Destinations

5. An International Perspective

THE EUROPEAN TOURISM MARKET

ATTRACTIONS IN EUROPE

6. PEST Analysis

POLITICAL FACTORS

ECONOMIC FACTORS

SOCIAL FACTORS

TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS

7. Consumer Dynamics

INTRODUCTION

OVERVIEW OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS SHORT BREAKS

Table 14: Summary of Attitudes Towards Short Breaks (% of respondents), April 2008

Safety and Security

Value for Money Versus Luxury/Pampering

Purposes for Taking a Break

Destinations and Activities

Elements of the Short-Break Package

Environmental Concerns

DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCES

Non-Takers of Breaks

Basic Break Choices

Table 15: Basic Attitudes Towards Choosing Short Breaks (% of respondents), April 2008

Pricing and Choices on Breaks

Table 16: Pricing and Choices on Short Breaks (% of respondents), April 2008

Lifestyle and Family Concerns on Breaks

Table 17: Lifestyle and Family Concerns on Short Breaks (% of respondents), April 2008

The Role of Activities and Interests

Table 18: Activities on Short Breaks (% of respondents), April 2008

8. Supplier Profiles

INTRODUCTION

HOLIDAYBREAK PLC

Corporate Strategy

Profitability

Table 19: Financial Results for Holidaybreak PLC (£000 and %), Years Ending 30th September 2005-2007

THOMAS COOK GROUP PLC

Corporate Strategy

Profitability

Table 20: Financial Results for Thomas Cook Group PLC (i000 and %), Years Ending 31st October 2006 and 2007

TUI TRAVEL PLC

Corporate Strategy

Profitability

Table 21: Financial Results for TUI UK Ltd (£000 and %), Years Ending 31st December 2004-2006

Table 22: Financial Results for First Choice Holidays Ltd (£000 and %), Years Ending 31st October 2004-2006

AIRLINES

OTHER COMPANIES

9. The Future

ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

THE ENVIRONMENT

HOLIDAYING AT HOME

OTHER FUTURE FACTORS

MARKET FORECASTS

Table 23: The Forecast UK Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume and Value (million trips and £m), 2008-2012

Figure 7: The Forecast UK Short-Break Holiday Market by Volume (million trips), 2008-2012

Figure 8: The Forecast UK Short-Break Holiday Market by Value (£m), 2008-2012

10. Further Sources

Publications

General Sources

Government Publications

Other Sources

Bisnode Sources