Let the experts choose: British families vote for the UK’s favourite destinations for a family holiday

Today, HomeAway, a Vrbo brand and part of Expedia Group, has launched its Family Friendly Destinations competition in the UK, an initiative which aims to identify the favourite places British families travel to across the country.

As a global expert in family holiday rentals for more than 25 years, HomeAway has launched the campaign to recognise the continuous efforts from British communities in welcoming families from across the UK to give them an unforgettable holiday.

Out of dozens of suggested destinations, 18 finalists* are competing in three categories: seaside, rural and urban, to be awarded as the UK’s most “Family Friendly Destination 2020”, voted for by the British public via an online competition.

With many British families longing to go on holiday abroad, they’ve found themselves unable to do so due to the current travel restrictions in place. The competition will highlight a mix of some of the UK’s top hidden gems with some popular family hotspots to inspire and encourage UK staycations, when domestic travel is safely back on the cards.

UK’s most “Family Friendly” Destinations 2020 – The finalists

The nominees have been selected by more than 500 British families* based on six criteria which were considered essential when choosing a holiday destination for a family trip in the UK. The criteria chosen was selected in an online survey by UK families** and includes topics such as entertainment on offer for a range of age groups, variety of food and beverage services to cleanliness, safety and environmental health.

Karen Mullins, Regional Director UK & Ireland at HomeAway: “With the school summer holidays fast approaching, many British families will be shifting their 2020 travel plans from their usual European favourites such as Portugal, Spain and Italy to opt for a UK staycation instead. Our Family Friendly Destinations campaign aims to support them when deciding which corner of Britain to explore when it is safe to do so again and to ensure the whole family feels secure on their travels, without lacking the summer essentials of sun, fun and adventure! And who could be better experts for trustworthy recommendations of where to visit in the UK than British families themselves!”

While the majority of the finalists can be found in England, two Welsh communities, Conwy and Tenby, also made it through to the shortlist of votes in the categories seaside and rural respectively. Edinburgh was the only Scottish finalist in the competition, with the historic capital earning a place as a finalist in the urban category. The remaining 15 nominees from across England cover the whole length of the country, from Torquay on the ‘English Riviera’ to Scarborough, from Brighton to Keswick in the Lake District.

“With the Family Friendly Destinations competition, British families get the unique opportunity to recognise the locations and respective communities which put tremendous efforts towards ensuring families have an unforgettable holiday experience. At HomeAway, our mission is to connect holidaymakers to the people and places they love, giving them the space they need to drop the distractions of everyday life and simply be together. We are now more than ever, committed to supporting those British communities which put a lot of thought, investment and heart into creating the environments that offer those special moments for holidaymaking families, to help them bounce back after this financially difficult year and support the local tourism.”