Hotels.com has reported a 29% increase in the number of UK holidaymakers searching for single-night holidays, or ‘nano-breaks’, over the past year.
The hotel booking site said UK cities have been the biggest beneficiaries of the trend.
Customers wanting single-night, weekend stays in Brighton were up by 140% in January, while searches for Edinburgh nano-breaks were up 82%.
Searches for nono-breaks in London were up 20% and 143% in Bournemouth.
Travellers are also taking single-night breaks in major European and North African cities, travelling out on Saturdays and returning on Sundays to get away with less of the cost.
Searches in January 2009 for single-night weekend stays in Marrakech rose 86%, while the numbers of people looking for single-night stays in Venice was up by a similar proportion – 84% – compared to January 2008.
Hotels.com communications director Alison Couper said: “All of our research shows that people see holidays as a right not a luxury and the rise in searches for nano-breaks is further evidence of holidaymakers’ determination to keep travelling.
“The simple act of going on holiday for just a single night is relaxing and a change from the stresses and strains of life, so travellers are keen to make sure that they are getting away from it all, if only for a couple of days.â€
By Bev Fearis
