Brits choose short breaks with partners over friends
UK breaks are the romantic choice for British couples
Weekend and overnight breaks in the UK are popular choices for today’s busy Brits.
A new survey by visitbirmingham.com reveals that three quarters of us prefer to take breaks with partners rather than friends, confirming that we like time out for romantic reasons as much as recreational ones.
In terms of enjoying the perfect weekend break, half the nation’s lovebirds say their favourite pursuit is simply strolling around a city. 38% make a point of dining in quality restaurants, over a third take in local landmarks, and a quarter seek out the entertainment on offer.
One in five people choose cities for their bars and nightlife. Three quarters say they make more of an effort to take in the cultural attractions of the city they’re visiting than they would in their own hometown.
It’s when they arrive at their chosen destination that all the smoochy stuff really kicks in. Short breaks provide a chance not only to say everything you’ve been bottling up for ages, but to give the kind of gifts that say you really mean it. Partnered-up people and singletons alike say that hand-crafted jewellery is the most romantic gift they could hope to be given on a short break.
And where better then to spend a romantic weekend than in the heart of Birmingham where you can find the 250-year-old Jewellery Quarter? Home to 400 jewellery businesses and over 200 listed buildings and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, recently voted by users of Trip Advisor as one of the best free tourist attractions in Europe, ahead of Notre Dame and Westminster Abbey.
The area also has public art and building trails along with jewellery school and ghostly catacombs.
Visitors can browse through over 100 specialist retailers for classic pieces and beautiful handcrafted jewellery or commission their own piece.
This historic area of Birmingham is home to some of the coolest bars and galleries in the city.
Independent travel expert, Russell Amerasekera, said: “You only have to look further than your nose to realise how much Birmingham has to offer as a weekend city destination.
“Most people don’t know you get amazing Victorian and Georgian architecture, outstanding multicultural food, really cool eclectic art and fabulous designer shops all within a few square miles.
“These days, there is a real creative buzz and vibe about the City – last time I went I did Gothic fashion, Bollywood and an Art house movie all within 12 hours. Every time I go, I see & experience something totally different!”
For more information visit www.visitbirmingham.com
For more information and interview opps please call Kate Eccles on 0121 202 5001 or 07970 928615 out of office hours.
Notes to Editors
- To find out more about accommodation and visitor attractions in and around Birmingham city centre www.visitbirmingham.com
- For interviews with Dave Hodgson from Marketing Birmingham, or Independent Travel Expert, Russell Amerasekera please call Kate Eccles on 0121 202 5001 or 07970 928615.
- For photographs or filming opps in the Jewellery Quarter or Birmingham city centre call Kate Eccles on 0121 202 5001 or 07970 928615.
Research Report
Marketing Birmingham commissioned research using 2142 UK adults looking at weekend getaways. What do people consider to be the perfect weekend away with a partner or a friend and how far are they willing to travel?
The Perfect Weekend
Half of all those surveyed say strolling around the city is an essential part of their ‘perfect’ weekend break with a partner (50%) whilst 38% believe high quality restaurants are important. 50% of people who earn under £25,000 place a stroll in the park as essential for a ‘perfect’ weekend compared to 64% of people who earn more than £55,000 who believe a high quality restaurant to be essential. Only 4% consider ordering room service to be essential on a perfect weekend, suggesting that Britons prefer to eat out and explore eateries when on weekend breaks with their partners rather than remaining in the hotel. More women than men say shopping is essential on their ‘perfect’ weekend with a partner (22% vs 17%), whilst young people aged 16 to 24 are the group most likely say nightclubbing is essential to their ‘perfect’ weekend (10%). This is in comparison to only 1% of people over 55, who prefer visiting an art gallery or museum (14% vs 8%). The most romantic gift a person could receive on a weekend break would be a handmade piece of jewellery according to 35% of Britons, with flowers proving to be the least popular option with only 10% considering them as a perfect gift on a weekend break. If money were no object, 17% of people earning £15,000 and under would choose to blow their budget on shopping compared to those earning £45,001 to 55,000. (17% vs 3%). Interestingly, Britons with the star sign Capricorn are most likely to want to travel in luxury with 11% claiming they would travel first class to and from their destination if money were no object.
When considering a perfect weekend with friends, almost half of UK adults believe shopping to be an essential activity (47%), followed by cocktails and drinks (40%). One in two 25 to 35 year olds (51%) say they consider going out for cocktails and drinks with their friends to be essential compared to one in four of those aged 55 and over (26%). More men than women on weekend breaks with friends say taking part in sports is essential to them (14% vs 1%), whilst women again say shopping is an essential part of a weekend away with friends compared to men (65% vs 8%). Britons with the star sign Pisces are nearly three times more likely to take a city tour whilst on their perfect weekend with same sex friends than people with the sign Gemini (15% vs 6%)
When asked which celebrity group of friends Britons would most like to go away for the weekend with, 23% of the nations say the cast of Friends. 1 in 4 people living in Sheffield want to go away for the weekend with the Sex and the City girls (26%) while only 1 in 10 people living in Edinburgh agree (9%). 21% of British women would like to spend a romantic weekend away with Richard Hammond, while 34% of men would prefer the company of Cat Deeley. People earning £35,001 to £45,000 are over twice as likely to want the Desperate Housewives as celebrity friends on a weekend break than people earning under £15,000 (10% vs 4%).
Travel
Britons are most likely to choose travelling by train (22%) and car (63%) when planning a UK weekend break. 71% of 55 year olds and over prefer to travel by car compared to 37% of 16 to 24 who prefer the train. 36% of Britons say they would be happy to travel two to three hours by train to get away on a weekend break, with 1 in 4 being happy to travel up to three to four hours (25%). The people of Sheffield are most open to train travel with 1 in 2 being willing to spend two to three hours travelling (49%) with and only 2% claiming they wouldn’t travel by train. Gemini’s are the most economical star sign when it comes to planning transport for a UK weekend break with 7% willing to car share when travelling. People living in Bristol are the top car users with 73% being likely to choose the transport when planning a UK weekend break.
Friends or Partner
71% of UK adults say they would rather go away with a partner than spend a weekend break with friends. The people of Belfast are the most expected to go on a weekend break with friends (22%) with Sheffield being the most likely city to go away with a partner (81%).
Nearly half of all Britons (49%) think they would spend more money going away with a group of same sex friends than taking a trip with their partner. 66% of people say they are more likely to visit cultural attractions when going away with a partner rather than friends (27%). Women think they are twice as likely as men to visit cultural attractions when on a trip with friends (8% v 4%). 45 to 54 year olds are more likely to visit cultural attractions with a partner than with friends (71% v 6%).
Activities
39% of UK adults say they choose tea as their drink of choice in the morning at weekends, with coffee drinks such as cappuccinos (8%) and espressos (5%) being far less popular. The most popular city for tea drinking at weekends is Norwich, with 48% of the city saying they drink tea in the morning. Nearly double the amount of 16 to 24 year olds (25%) drink fruit juice in the morning at weekends compared to only 13% of 45 to 54 year olds. 31% of Britons prefer to drink wine when they are out in the evening on weekends, with beer being the second most common choice (22%). Cocktails (3%) and Cider (5%) are the least popular drink for Britons on a weekend evening. Wine is the most popular drink for Leo’s with 35% of the star sign choosing the drink on weekend nights out. Younger people aged 16 to 24 say they are more likely to drink spirits and mixers on a night out compared to people 55 year olds (21% v 10%). People who earn over £55,001 drink the most cocktails when out in the evening on weekends (8%) with those earning under £15,000 being the biggest cider drinkers throughout weekend evenings (7%). 33% of people living in Newcastle choose to drink beer making it the commonest city of weekend beer drinkers in the UK.
75% say they make more of an effort to go and see a city’s attractions and cultural offerings when theyre away for the weekend than in their home town. People living in Nottingham make the most effort to explore when on weekends away than any other UK city with 84% of people saying they make more of an effort to visit city attractions and cultural offerings whilst away than in their home town. People living in Birmingham are the group most likely to visit attractions and cultural offerings in their hometown rather than during weekends away (6%).
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