What people want from Staycations 2021
#The Great Escape 2021. As another summer on terraferma looks likely, we take a look at Staycations in Ireland…
As people eagerly await updates about travelling abroad later in the summer, there are still many people who have not yet committed to staying at home. We saw a figure lately that suggests that 50% of people plan to holiday at home this summer, which we assume means that the other 50% are still hopeful about getting abroad at some stage.
The Irish Government is still advising against non-essential travel overseas – but is expecting to provide Covid-19 passports to those who do travel abroad by the end of the summer. (From July 19, Ireland plans to operate the EU Digital Covid Certificate for travel originating within the EU).
But for many of us, taking the risk of waiting until July to see if we can get on a plane (safely), just isn’t worth it. We took a look at the Irish Staycation and what people are looking for in 2021.
Ireland’s gorgeous coastlines and beaches are, unsurprisingly, far up the list in terms of what people seek, and to be fair, we have these in spades. For most people, an Irish coastline is less than 2 hours away which makes it easy for families to choose a destination that is still close to home if they wish.
Sea swimming exploded around the country during Covid-19 and this new cohort of people want beaches that they can do this easily and safely (and sometimes with the family). In answer to this trend, we recently spotted a new range of wetsuits in Dunnes Stores!
A selection of decent restaurants in the area is also a key decider for the people we spoke to when choosing a destination. Expectations have changed in terms of what people will accept in local restaurants and bars, wherever they go. They want to see strong menus and a decent wine list these days.
There are those that have perfected the art of BBQ’ing in the garden, as our restaurants were shut, so many are now choosing self-catering places that have BBQ facilities. Cocktail glasses in the press came up quite a lot when we spoke to people about what they wanted to see in self-catering accommodation!
But of course, the first item of importance as people travel around the country this year is safety. They expect that all hotel rooms, self-catering accommodation and holiday parks will be vigilant in their Covid-19 policies and that everything will be done on-site to prevent the spread of the virus.
So, it’s fair to say that the average holidaymaker in Ireland has a few more things on their tick list this year as they travel around the country.
Are we ready? 🙂
Coming soon: Check back in to see our favorite places to visit on Ireland’s East Coast this summer!
