Northern Ireland is the most budget-friendly staycation destination, according to a new report.
When it comes to budgeting, Armagh came out on top for the new cheapest staycation destination with Slieve Gullion Forest Park offering plenty of free activities for all the family. Plus with no admission fee or car park charges the attraction is the perfect spot for an open space day out.
Armagh also takes the fourth position in the 2020 Safecation report out of the 25 best new destinations for a socially distant safecation.
As more Brits plan on taking a staycation than ever before, the consumer spending experts at money.co.uk have created the report, which identifies the best locations.
With open spaces being such a priority at the moment, the report takes a list of the UK locations that are home to the largest public parks (according to Ordnance Survey) and compares them against the UK’s most-visited staycations destinations to reveal the safest staycations in the whole of the UK, based on the following criteria:
The safecation criteria included: space (km2), contactless payment availability, free activities, dog friendliness, number of beaches within a 50km radius, number of caravan parks/camping sites within a 50km radius, crime rate for April 2020, visitors per year to the county, park entry fee and car parking charges.
Forget crushing into overcrowded beauty spots and head to hidden gems dotted around the UK that are perfect for social distancing.
With only 704,103 visitors to County Armagh, the town of Armagh in Northern Ireland takes the fourth position in the 2020 Safecation report. The remote location offers plenty for those looking for a crowd-free option.
Slieve Gullion Forest Park is a must-visit attraction while holidaying in Armagh, with large open spaces that can accommodate up to 1,759,035 visitors, while all maintaining a one metre distance. This gives guests the freedom to enjoy country walks across the park’s 6.12km² of outdoor space.
If maintaining a two metre distance the attraction can accommodate up to 439,758.72 visitors.
Antrim came in 14th position in the study. The destination has fewer visitors per year to the county than Armagh and has a significantly bigger park but scored lower against the other criteria within the report.
County Antrim can see up to 525,432visitors per year and Glenariff Forest Park offers 10km² of open space for visitors to enjoy – meaning 718,560.00guests can accommodate the park if maintaining a one metre distance or 2,874,240 visitors with a two metre distance.
However, Antrim scored lower than Armagh on budget-friendly options, the number of beaches and dog-friendliness.
Devon took the top spot for the most popular traditional UK staycation destination, but with over 2,510,000 visitors to the county each year it is a hotspot for overcrowding.
In comparison,The Japanese Garden in Newquay could only host 1,150 visitors in its 0.004Km² grounds – that is just 0.04% of Cornwall’s annual visitors.
When it comes to budgeting, Armagh in Northern Ireland came out on top for the new cheapest staycation destination with Slieve Gullion Forest Park offering walking trails, a scenic drive, an Adventure Playpark, Giant’s Lair children’s story trail and courtyard with coffee shop. Plus with no admission fee or car park charges the attraction is the perfect spot for an open space day out.
With the government urging us to take our 2020 summer holiday here in the UK, excited Brits have been rushing to book their getaways. But, as money.co.uk’s consumer spending expert Salman Haqqi explains, this could lead to overcrowding and difficulty adhering to social distancing rules.
“Campsites, holiday parks and hotels all over the nation are ready and waiting to welcome guests back, but even with strict social distancing guidelines in place, overcrowding can still be a problem in tourist honeypots.
“Our report shows that a destination like Glasgow can only host around 8% of the usual annual visitors to the area taking one metre social distancing into account, whereas there is plenty of space for everyone in Gower.
“It’s not just wide-open spaces that need to be considered when booking, the report found that 52% of the new destinations had contactless payment options available for parking, food and drinks, shopping and leisure activities.”
Find the fullMoney.co.ukSafecation Report here: https://www.money.co.uk/
