Top Trending Destinations Travellers are Booking this Easter
At a glance
- London ranks as the top Easter destination booked by UK travellers, reflecting broader demand for nostalgic city breaks and cultural attractions.
- 84% of British travellers seek nostalgic getaways evoking simpler times, driving domestic tourism as weather improves and daylight extends.
- Manchester ranks second, offering diverse attractions including the Trafford Centre shopping mall and National Football Museum alongside dining experiences.
- Edinburgh, Liverpool and Glasgow complete the top five UK destinations, each emphasising history, culture and entertainment to capture Easter bookings.
What the report covers
Booking.com's report identifies the most-booked domestic destinations for UK travellers during the Easter 2023 holiday period (3–17 April). The analysis draws on Travel Predictions 2023 research commissioned by the platform and conducted among 24,179 respondents across 32 countries, with 1,006 participants from the UK. The report examines traveller preferences and motivations, highlighting a shift towards nostalgic experiences and domestic tourism as weather conditions improve.
Key findings
London dominates Easter bookings among UK travellers, reflecting the appeal of major attractions including the London Eye, Westminster and Southbank dining and entertainment options. The report provides no quantitative ranking data beyond identifying London as the top destination, but emphasises its draw for couples, families and solo travellers seeking diverse activities.
Nostalgia emerges as a significant travel driver. According to the report, 84% of British travellers intend to pursue nostalgic getaways that evoke simpler times. This preference reflects a broader pattern of domestic tourism growth tied to seasonal factors—improving weather and lengthening daylight—creating demand for meaningful, memory-focused travel experiences.
Manchester secures second position among booked destinations, distinguished by multiple attraction types spanning shopping (Trafford Centre), sports heritage (National Football Museum), gastronomy (Spinningfields restaurants) and family experiences (Treasure Hunt Walking Tour). The report does not provide comparative booking volumes between destinations, focusing instead on qualitative descriptions of appeal.
Cultural and heritage destinations occupy prominent positions. Edinburgh, Liverpool and Glasgow feature in the top five, each marketed through historical narratives—Edinburgh's Old Town and castle, Liverpool's musical heritage and Albert Dock, Glasgow's shipbuilding architecture and cultural institutions. The source provides no ranking data beyond identifying these as trending destinations.
The report offers accommodation recommendations aligned with each destination's character, highlighting properties marketed as sustainable travel options. However, the source contains no data on accommodation booking volumes, pricing trends or occupancy patterns for the Easter period.
Key numbers
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| British travellers seeking nostalgic getaways | 84% |
| Total respondents in Travel Predictions 2023 research | 24,179 |
| Top booked domestic destination (UK Easter 2023) | London |
| Second most booked destination (UK Easter 2023) | Manchester |
| Top five destinations ranked | London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Glasgow |
Figures as published in the source; forecasts and survey results are labelled as such in the note.
Why it matters
DMOs & destinations
The nostalgia trend—84% of travellers—signals demand for heritage-focused narratives and experience curation. DMOs should emphasise historical attractions, cultural storytelling and activities evoking simpler times. Destination positioning around local memory-making opportunities and authentic cultural experiences can capture this segment and drive domestic visitation during seasonal peaks like Easter.
Hotels & hospitality
Easter booking patterns reveal concentration in five major UK cities with distinct appeal profiles—shopping, sports, culture, music heritage. Hotels should tailor messaging and packages to match each destination's dominant draw. Sustainability credentials appear increasingly important in Booking.com's marketing, suggesting properties highlighting eco-practices or heritage conversion may gain prominence in search and recommendations.
Travel tech & distribution
Nostalgia-driven demand requires refined filtering and search personalisation. Travel-tech operators should implement tagging systems connecting accommodations with heritage narratives, cultural experiences and simpler-times appeal. Marketing algorithms should amplify seasonal trends—improved weather and daylight—to drive Easter bookings. Recommendation engines benefit from psychographic segmentation beyond demographics.
Methodology and limits
Booking.com commissioned Travel Predictions 2023 research surveying 24,179 adults aged 18+ across 32 countries intending to travel for business or leisure within 12–24 months. The UK sample included 1,006 respondents. This brief covers only the publicly available summary and Easter destination rankings published on Booking.com's news platform; the full methodology, confidence intervals, statistical significance and detailed market analysis are not disclosed in the source text. Easter destination rankings are qualitative ordinal positions rather than quantitative booking volumes.
Official source
The report is © Booking.com. This brief is an original editorial summary by TourismIntel — it quotes only figures published in the source and never reproduces the document.
Check the official statistics on Pulse
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