For 31% of holiday home owners this would be the perfect view
Britons dream of escaping to a second home in the city, according to a new study from a holiday home insurance provider; revealing that 56% of Britons would prefer to own a holiday home in a city than one in the countryside, with Paris topping the charts as the most desired location.
The study was conducted by www.Schofields.ltd.uk as part of research into the holiday home preferences of Britons, specifically in relation to desired holiday home locations. 2,001 men and women aged 18 and over subsequently took part, none of whom currently owned a holiday/second home.
Those taking part were asked, “Should you be able to purchase a holiday home, where would you like to do so?” According to the results, more than half, 56%, of the men and women taking part stated that they’d like to purchase a ‘city home’ for use as a holiday home, whilst 37% would opt for a ‘countryside home.’
Those who stated that they’d prefer a city holiday home above all others, were asked to state which cities in the world they would most like to own a second home in. The top 10 desired holiday home cities were revealed to be as follows:
1) Paris, France- 31%
2) London, England- 29%
3) Venice, Italy- 26%
4) New York City, USA- 25%
5) Rome, Italy- 20%
6) Vienna, Austria- 19%
7) San Diego, USA- 17%
8) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil- 16%
9) Sydney, Australia- 12%
10) Dubai, UAE- 10%
In contrast, the most desired countryside holiday home locations amongst Britons were revealed to be as follows:
1) Provence, France- 45%
2) Alps, France- 40%
3) Tuscany, Italy- 39%
4) Cotswolds, UK- 35%
5) Algarve, Portugal- 33%
6) Highlands, Scotland- 30%
7) Costa Blanca, Spain- 25%
8) Costa Del Sol, Spain- 20%
9) Cornwall, UK- 19%
10) Rocky Mountains, US- 16%
Those who claimed that they’d opt for a city holiday home were asked why this was the case. Two fifths, 41%, explained that they’d want a city holiday home as they’d have ‘plenty to do’ whilst visiting, whereas 35% claimed that they’d want to use it as a ‘base’ for business or pleasure travel. 30% believed a city holiday home would ‘yield a better return on investment’ than one in the countryside.
Phil Schofield of Schofield’s Holiday Home Insurance commented on the findings:
“We have certainly seen a surge in popularity amongst Britons purchasing holiday homes in cities over the past 12 months, and it seems that the reasons have been reflected in this new study. No longer does the countryside reign as king of the holiday homes - Britons want a fast paced getaway, with a home to keep up with them. You can certainly get some great deals on city holiday homes, particularly in cities with an up and coming property market, or areas set to boom in popularity over the next few years.”
By Toma Sukyte - for Female First