Demand for stay cations pushes prices of beach breaks up - study suggests
Seaside accommodation prices have risen by an average of 35% this summer compared with last year, according to analysis by consumer group Which, in 10 of the UK's most visited beach destinations including St Ives, Whitby, Llandudno and Brighton.
People in England could be permitted to stay in self-contained accommodation such as holiday lets from 12 April under Boris Johnson's road map for easing lock down restrictions.
Foreign holidays - which may be allowed from 17 May - are likely to involve several restrictions and requirements such as coronavirus testing and self-isolation periods.
This has led to many people booking stay cations, resulting in them becoming more expensive.
Researchers from Which looked at prices for a total of 15 properties on accommodation booking platforms Airbnb and Vrbo.
The cost of stays in July and August is typically 35% higher now than if the equivalent dates last summer were booked during May and June 2020.
A one-bedroom maisonette in Brighton has the largest mark-up, increasing in price from £53 per night to £127 per night. The cost of a one-week stay at a property in Llandudno has risen from £427 to £596, while seven nights in a property in St Ives has gone from £860 to £1,263.
Some price rises were more modest, with a one-bedroom cottage in Scarborough just 7% more expensive this summer.
@nabob @renatew5😺🐶 @Pinkaholic79 💖🦄🌺 @Flossy 🧁🧁🧁🧁 @Janet 💋🍰🍝🍹 @margaret.s @roz @harryflatters @Bill Obermeyer @andym.aat @Tanith and any one interested
We have friends nearby who own a delightful holiday cottage in Anglesey which they let through an agency. So they've had no-one staying there since last year, and they have had to pay to keep the place heated and tended, I think they just managed to get two days there in November before scurrying back before the next lockdown. At the moment it's looking as though Wales may be opening up in April, so they are desperate to get back there to tend to it personally. The cottage is very homely and has books, pictures, rugs and soft furnishings which all had to to be removed, leaving it very spartan. They had to buy extra sets of bedding (it's a two bedroom cottage with an additional attic room for children) so this cost them quite a lot. Then the time and cost of cleaning between stays became awkward.