Cold Weather Drives UK Consumers to Surf the Web for Balmier Destinations

Following an unusually cold and prolonged winter, UK consumers are turning to the internet to research weather forecasts in nearby holiday destinations as they seek out short breaks and holidays in the sun.

According to Hitwise, the online competitive intelligence service, searches for “weather” and “forecast” frequently form part of destination searches driving traffic to the online travel sector.

Among the most popular destination search terms driving traffic to online travel websites in the four weeks ending May 20, Cyprus, Tenerife, Malaga and Spain were all regularly combined with the term “weather.”

“The cold, unseasonable weather seems to be influencing online search behaviour, driving consumers to search for weather in popular short-haul destinations,” said Heather Hopkins, Director of Research for Hitwise UK. “Searches that combine a destination and the keyword ‘weather´ have proved popular in recent weeks, as consumers eager to escape the inclement weather research holiday destinations.”

The most clicked-on weather-related destination search terms driving traffic to travel websites in the four weeks ending May 20 were Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Spain´s Majorca and Rome.

It is interesting that UK internet users are less interested in weather conditions in long-haul destinations, such as Australia, New York or Florida, which rank among the top-10 most sought-after travel destinations.