The Olympics? We'd Rather Go on Holiday!

LONDON, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Only 7% of Brits to attend the London Olympics as homeowners tap in to the potential and rent out their property

Supporting recent figures released by ABTA, the Travel Association, which showed that 12% of Brits intend to go abroad to avoid the Games, a recent holidaymaker survey conducted by HomeAway.co.uk, the UK's number one holiday rentals website, indicates that only 7% of those interviewed are planning to attend the Olympics and 25% of these still haven't purchased their tickets for the event*.

This year, in spite of the Olympics, Brits are as focused on their beach breaks as ever, with the Balearic Islands and Florida the second and third most popular destinations for holidays in July-August. Although London did remain the top destination, it is usually within the top three for summer most years.

Andy Cockburn, Regional Director for HomeAway UK, comments, "It looks like many Londoners will be trying to escape the crowds this summer by jetting off on holiday during the event. However, demand for London accommodation is still strong as international tourists from around the globe flock to our shores. Enquiries on HomeAway.co.uk are up 695% for London properties this summer compared to last year**. Many home owners are also tapping into the rental potential of the event and renting out their property while they go away."

Mrs Stopa has rented out her four bedroom family home in Canary Wharf while she and her family head back to India to introduce her new son to family. She commented, "I am using this time to take my children to visit family abroad and felt there was no point leaving our home vacant over the Olympic period when there's such high demand. We quickly secured a booking via HomeAway.co.uk; our house will become home to the parents and spouses of the Australian water polo team during the event."

On HomeAway.co.uk the top ten source markets for London booking enquiries for July and August 2012 are the USA, UK, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Canada and Belgium.

Another London homeowner and advertiser on HomeAway.co.uk, Mr Sansom, also reports having guests from far and wide. He said, "We added our property to HomeAway.co.uk in September 2011 and have been very pleased with the results. We had over 35 enquiries for the Olympics and are now completely booked up for both the main games and the Paralympics. We charged 70% more than our standard rates, which we felt was fair, and our guests are coming from Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Romania!" View a video interview with Mr Sansom here.

Top 5 destinations for holidays in July-August 2012***

1. London
2. Balearic Islands
3. Florida
4. Andalusia
5. Alicante - Costa Blanca

*Based on over 1,000 responses collected from HomeAway.co.uk visitors in January 2012.

**Based on booking enquiries for July/August 2012 compared to July/August 2011 on HomeAway.co.uk

***In terms of number of booking enquiries for holidays in July-August 2012 placed on HomeAway.co.uk

Media contact
Sarah Chambers, PR Manager
+44(0)20-3513-0734 / schambers@homeaway.co.uk