While sales of cool clothes and garden accessories soared in July, travel spending declined for the fifth month in a row, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG.
Rachel Mumford – UK travel expert for KAYAK – spotted a trend for ‘coolcations’ this summer.
She said: “The prolonged warm weather coincides with some interesting shifts in the destinations travellers are considering this summer.
“KAYAK data shows flight searches for cooler UK destinations such as Aberdeen and Glasgow rising 25 per cent and 24 per cent year on year, suggesting growing interest in milder breaks closer to home.
“We’re seeing similar signs overseas, with flight searches for Ottawa (Canada) up 166 per cent and Salzburg (Austria) up 92 per cent, while searches for more traditional summer hot spots such as Athens, Alicante and Lisbon have declined.
“While destination choices are influenced by many factors, the data points to a possible shift towards ‘coolcations’ this summer. Comfort also appears to be a growing consideration, with searches on KAYAK.co.uk for hotels offering air conditioning up 35 per cent year on year.”
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