The UK’s growing ‘holiday gap’: New research from Airbnb reveals rising cost

Key Takeaways

• New research reveals that more than a quarter (27%) of UK families don’t currently have a summer holiday booked this year, with the cost of living and cost of travel cited as the top reasons why.
  
  
• Almost three-quarters (71%) of families who do have a summer holiday booked are concerned about the cost of their upcoming break.
  
  
• It comes as spending quality time together, creating lasting memories, and giving children new experiences were cited as the top three reasons families believe holidays are important.
  
  
• Airbnb has partnered with the Family Holiday Charity, donating nearly £300,000, which has provided over 300 first-time holidays for families across the UK this year.
  
  

New research ¹ from Airbnb and The Family Holiday Charity reveals the scale of the UK ‘holiday gap’, as over a quarter (27%) of UK families surveyed currently won’t be going on a summer holiday this year, with the cost of living and cost of travel cited as the biggest barriers.

The data indicates that rising costs – even relatively small increases – are putting holidays out of reach for UK families, as almost a third (29%) say they are unsure or do not think they will be able to afford a family holiday over the next 12 months.

The findings also indicate how financial pressures are changing travel habits across the UK, as nearly one fifth (19%) of UK families have cancelled a holiday abroad in the past six months due to concerns about rising costs. Meanwhile, separate Airbnb data reveals that UK domestic searches have increased by more than 11% year-on-year², and over the May Bank Holidays, searches for UK stays on Airbnb increased by 15% year-on-year³, suggesting many families are increasingly seeking options that are more affordable and closer to home.

For families who have booked a summer holiday this year, the majority (71%) are concerned about the cost of their upcoming break. A third of parents (33%) admit to dipping into family savings to afford a family holiday this summer, while nearly two in five (38%) have relied on financial support from extended family members. Meanwhile, over two-thirds (66%⁴) of UK parents say they would have cancelled their most recent or upcoming family holiday if prices had risen by more than £100.

These findings come as Airbnb announces that its £300,000 donation to the Family Holiday Charity has enabled over 300 families to take their first ever holiday this year. The partnership aims to address the UK’s ‘holiday gap’ by making travel more accessible and affordable, helping families spend quality time together, create lasting memories and discover more of the UK.

The social and well-being benefits of travel are reflected in the data, with spending quality time together (65%), creating lasting memories (56%), and giving children new experiences (48%) being the main reasons why parents think family holidays are important.

Children echo this sentiment, with spending time with family (71%), taking part in fun activities (59%), and making memories (58%) ranked as the main reasons why a family holiday is important to them.

Family Holiday Charity supports families living on low incomes, many of whom have never before experienced time away together, by offering the space to breathe and take a break from daily struggles caused by challenges such as bereavement, caring responsibilities, mental health, insecure housing and domestic abuse.

Previous programmes have demonstrated a substantial impact, with 92%⁵ of families supported saying that their holiday had a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.

Lynsey, from Newcastle, whose first ever family holiday was supported by Airbnb and the Family Holiday Charity, said:

“Before this trip, we’d never been able to go on holiday as a family. It was something we’d always wanted to do, but it just wasn’t realistic for us from a financial perspective. That’s why the opportunity to take a break together earlier this year was so special – for a few days, we were able to step away from the stresses of everyday life and simply enjoy each other’s company. The memories we made will stay with us for a long time, and we’re incredibly grateful to the Family Holiday Charity and Airbnb for making this happen.”

Rob Parkinson, CEO of Family Holiday Charity, said:

“As a charity our central mission is to support families facing tough times to experience the many benefits of time away together. Sending as many families as we can on holiday, while incredibly important and deeply rewarding, is not a lasting solution to the systemic problems which prevent people from accessing breaks.

“We are very excited to be working with Airbnb at what feels like a pivotal moment in addressing the many issues which perpetuate holiday inequality. Collaborating with industry and policy-makers is essential if we are to drive the transformative change we believe can alter the life chances of families throughout the UK.”

Lisa Marçais, General Manager for UKI, Northern Europe, and MEA, Airbnb, said: “Family holidays are about much more than time away; they’re an opportunity to reconnect, improve wellbeing, create invaluable memories, and have new experiences together. But for too many families in the UK, rising costs mean that even a short break is out of reach.

We’re partnering with the Family Holiday Charity to help close the UK’s ‘holiday gap’, enabling hundreds of families to take a holiday for the first time this year. Last year, guests said that platforms like Airbnb helped save households £390 million on holiday accommodation costs, while over a third of UK guests said they would not have been able to afford the same trip without platforms like Airbnb.⁶ Every family deserves a holiday, and there are some beautiful places across the UK that might be less familiar, but are very affordable on Airbnb, just waiting to be booked.”

This partnership is a critical part of Airbnb’s ongoing commitment to the future of UK tourism and supporting the Government’s regional growth strategy.

Last year, Airbnb hosted over 25 million guest nights, with travel on Airbnb generating £8.3bn for the UK economy, supporting 175,000 jobs across the UK.⁷ Guests on Airbnb spent £3.2 billion in local restaurants, pubs, cafés, and attractions, with average local spending reaching £450 per stay ⁸, helping drive tourism spend beyond traditional destinations and spreading the benefits of travel and tourism to support communities across the UK.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The research was conducted by Censuswide and commissioned by Airbnb. The data was collected between 12.05.2026 – 27.05.2026.
   
   
2. Based on Airbnb internal data on Q1 2025 searches for stays in GB destinations vs international destinations for 22 June–23 September 2025 vs Q1 2026 searches for 21 June–22 September 2026 by GB travellers.
   
   
3. Based on Airbnb internal data / YOY% increase in searches during 2025 for May Bank Holiday (travel dates 5/1/26-5/4/26 + 5/22/26-5/25/26)
4. Refers to those who answered ‘‘£101-£250 more”, ‘£251-£500 more’ and “more than £500 more” to “Thinking about your holiday, what is the maximum increase in cost, if any, you would have been willing to accept before deciding not to take the trip at all?”
   
   
5. https://familyholidaycharity.org.uk/our-story/our-impact/impact-data-and-report
6. The figures mentioned above are extracted from an economic modelling report covering stays from 1 Jan 2025 – 31 Dec 2025 by Public First dated 31 May 2026, commissioned by Airbnb.
   
   
7. Figures also extracted from the economic modelling report by Public First referenced above.
   
   
8. Figures also extracted from the economic modelling report by Public First referenced above.
   
   

Other key data points include:

• Families are making sacrifices to afford time away, including cutting back on eating out (49%) and everyday essentials (28%), and presents for family members (28%).
  
  
• Not taking a family holiday also has an emotional impact, leading to feelings of disappointment (53%), guilt (49%), and sadness (49%) for parents.
  
  
• The ‘perfect holiday’ for children is spending time with family (66%), taking part in fun activities (62%), and visiting somewhere new abroad (50%)
• 42% of parents feel pressured to provide a summer holiday for their family.
  
  
• Families are missing out on the UK’s most extraordinary destinations: Just over one in ten 11% have never visited the UK seaside as a family, and a quarter (24%) have never visited the countryside.
  
  

About the Data

The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 2000 respondents aged 20+ with at least 1 dependent child aged 5-18. The data was collected between 12.05.2026 – 27.05.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.

About Airbnb

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5.5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2.5 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays, experiences, and services that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.