As many as 12 million Brits plan to make the most of Christmas and New Year period by taking at least one overnight trip in the UK, with 9.8 million people planning to take that trip in England, according to VisitEngland’s latest Trip Tracker survey. 

This is likely to generate some £2.1billion in tourism spend for the UK economy, around £1.7billion of which will be spent in England.

Just over a third of people (35 per cent) definitely planning an overnight trip in England said they will be spending more nights away from home compared to last Christmas.

The national tourist board also revealed that many Brits have already made plans for seasonal activities, with 45 per cent intending to visit the sales, 30 per cent planning a trip to a Christmas market and one in five (19 per cent) planning other Christmas pursuits such as ice skating, seeing a pantomime or visiting Father Christmas.

James Berresford, chief executive of VisitEngland, commented: “It’s great to see that so many people are planning to visit another part of the country with a break over the festive period. 

“Wherever you stay in England there is always something exciting to see or do right on the doorstep, and this is never truer than at Christmas!”