Overview
- Sykes Holiday Cottages published its 2026 Staycation Index in early June, listing the 50 most desirable UK destinations and keeping St Ives at number one while Bamburgh appears newly at number two.
- The ranking is based on a OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults and found 38% plan to take their main holiday in the UK in 2026, with Gen Z interest up to 53% from 45% last year.
- Coastal locations dominate preferences, 64% of respondents have planned or considered a multi-stop road trip (typically about three stops), and travellers expect to spend roughly £1,171 per break on average.
- The report was commissioned by Sykes and widely reported with commercial tie-ins such as affiliate booking links and a Mirror competition offering a £1,000 holiday voucher, which could boost local bookings.
- Sykes frames the trend as driven by value, flexibility and experience-led trips, and the survey notes cultural influences on choice — about 14% say film or TV swayed their decisions, with Peaky Blinders cited most often.