Torquay tops list of trending staycation destinations, says TripAdvisor

Devon town sees biggest surge in interest for this summer

Oddicombe beach in Torquay (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Torquay is the top trending destination in the UK for summer holidays, according to TripAdvisor.

Searches for the Devon coastal town have grown the most year-on-year of all domestic destinations, followed by Windermere in the Lake District and York in Yorkshire.

Interest in staycations in general has surged, TripAdvisor’s summer travel index has revealed, with searches for British holidays up by 384 per cent in April compared with the first week of January.

Searches for experiences – attractions and tours – and restaurants also rose this month, increasing by 128 per cent and 100 per cent respectively compared with the first week of January.

The data also showed the most popular holiday weeks this summer – 28 June and 26 July – and a survey suggested that almost half of Brits (44 per cent) plan to make up for lost time by taking two or more trips.

More than one in 20 people were also considering a longer summer break of 14 days or more, while one in seven were mulling a trip of at least 11 days.

With the news that holidays abroad may be possible from 17 May, TripAdvisor users have also been searching for European destinations.

Greece is trending heavily, with six of the top 10 spots for TripAdvisor clicks from UK travellers being Greek destinations.

The islands of Zakynthos and Santorini combined hold four of the top 10 trending destinations.

Tsilivi (also known as Planos) in Zakynthos takes the top the spot as the fastest growing international destination year-on-year for Brits; Cong in County Mayo, Ireland, is in second place; and Soufriere in St Lucia saunters into third place.

Top 10 UK trending destinations

1. Torquay, Devon
2. Windermere, Lake District
3. York, Yorkshire
4. Newquay, Cornwall
5. Bath, Somerset
6. Whitby, Yorkshire
7. Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
8. Bright, East Sussex
9. Portree, Isle of Skye
10. Bournemouth, Dorset

Top 10 international trending destinations

1. Tsilivi (Planos), Zakynthos, Greece
2. Cong, County Mayo, Ireland
3. Soufriere, St Lucia
4. Oia, Santorini, Greece
5. Laganas, Zakynthos, Greece
6. Paris, France
7. Mykonos Town, Mykonos, Greece
8. Imerovigli, Santorini, Greece
9. Analipsi, Crete, Greece
10. Ayia Napa, Cyprus