The price of a staycation in Suffolk appears to have dropped over the course of the pandemic despite prices spiralling elsewhere in the country.
An investigation by the BBC and consumer group Which? found that self-catered accommodation in the UK is costing on average 40% more than in the summer of 2019.
But data from AirDNA — which monitors websites such as Airbnb and Vrbo, and provided the data for the BBC investigation — shows that the price of a break in Suffolk has actually fallen since 2019.
Their analysis found the average price of a night in self-catered accommodation in Suffolk in July this year was £123. This is down 5% compared to July 2019 when it was £130.
Madeleine Parkin, from AirDNA, said: "More generally, we're seeing a rise in average daily rate nationally, partly driven by the move from small, city-centre apartments to larger, more rural houses and villas, which traditionally charge more, and partly by whole families or groups of friends travelling together and booking larger properties.
"It could be the case that the average has not risen in Suffolk as the average property size is 2.4 bedrooms, so most of the bookings are still in smaller apartments and houses, which don't charge as much as larger properties."
Ms Parkin added that there are fewer properties currently marketed for rental in Suffolk than there were in 2019.
Abi Charter, from Woodbridge-based holiday cottage rental firm Best of Suffolk, said the company's rates had gone up.
"They've increased in line with the market conditions," she said. "We have increased our prices, mainly to cover the increased cost of housekeeping, PPE, and Covid guidelines.
"All of the changeovers and everything are taking much longer than normal because there are more regulations in place.
"We always monitor our prices compared with our competitors in the market locally."
Ms Charter added that Best of Suffolk had seen an increase in owners staying in second homes that were normally used as rental properties.
This data comes after one Suffolk holiday cottage hit the headlines for being priced at £105,000 per week. It was later taken off the market.
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