Welsh town crowned UK boat holiday capital

Ella Groves

A Welsh town has been named as the UK’s boat holiday capital as part of research into the wider state of British tourism.

New analysis of Google search data for 2025 by Richardsons Boating Holidays found that over 1.5 million people per month were searching for boating holidays on average throughout the year.

Greg Munford of Richardsons Boating Holidays said: “We know that more and more, people are having to consider their options when it comes to how they spend their holiday time and where they spend it.

“Between deciding how best to spend their money, eco concerns and wanting to find new experiences, there are a lot of options out there, and people are increasingly looking to find something more than the traditional sand, sea and sun.”

As the figures were broken down, it revealed that the most searches were found in London, with an average of 256,610 searches registered per month.

“London coming out on top wasn’t surprising; it has the highest concentration of people, and the river Thames has long had a tradition of passenger and pleasure travel, but we wanted to move beyond the simple numbers to understand the parts of the country with the most overall interest” said Greg.

To do this, the experts at Richardsons compared the number of searches to the population of each area to see the per capita results.

As such they found that the results shifted away from the English capital and towards Wales.

Carmarthen

Carmarthen had the highest search volume per capita with 0.47 searches per person in the town.

Carmarthen has ranked as the UK’s most searched boating holiday destination thanks to its array of stunning beaches, selection of guided boat tours, and access to both rivers and the coast.

There are plenty of opportunities for visitors to get out on the water whether in their own boat or on a guided tour.

The Twyi Boat Club is an RYA Associated sailing and water sports centre near Carmarthen and is unusual in that it welcomes temporary members.

The club welcomes boaters of all ages and skill levels, and has RYA-certified instructors who provide facilities for disabled sailors.

Visitors to the area can purchase a temporary membership for about £20 a week.

However if you’d prefer to relax and let the experts show you around Carmarthen’s waters there are plenty of guided tours and ferry trips for you to enjoy.

Described by the Independent as one of the most spectacular ferries in the world, Carmarthen Bay Ferries offer narrated boat trips to the three corners of the estuary.

They also have a ferry service which crosses the River Tywi between the villages of Ferryside and Llansteffan. Glansteffan, the unique amphibious ferry, was named by the children of the primary schools of Llansteffan and Ferryside.

Bangor

Bangor takes fifth place, with 0.43 searches per person in the city for boat holidays.

Located on the Menai Strait the city gives visitors access to stunning coastal scenery, ideal waters for sailing, and sightseeing cruises.

It’s the perfect place to experience adventure on the Welsh coast with companies such as RibRide offering trips out into the Menai Strait.

They also run tours along the Anglesey coastline to Puffin Island, known in Welsh as Ynys Seiriol, where you can see a colony of Atlantic Puffins who call the island home between April and August.

Wrexham

The final Welsh location to make the top 10, Wrexham came in eighth place with 0.30 searches for boating holidays per person in the city.

Home to the historic Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wrexham is the perfect place to enjoy a narrowboat holiday.

Black Prince Holidays offer canal boat holidays, with training on how to operate the boat, promising “breathtaking views and some great photo opportunites.”

You can head along the Llangollen canal which runs alongside the Berwyn Mountains before taking you over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct towards the town of Llangollen.

“That the top 5 areas had roughly 1 search for every 2 people per month certainly shows that there’s a real desire for people to spend time on the water, whether that’s river cruises, canal trips or the Norfolk Broads” said Greg.

“In recent years, there’s been a lot of research that show the mental health benefits of being in what they call, blue spaces, so it’s great to see that when people are looking to take time away from work, from the everyday things that cause stress, they’re exploring an option which can help them do just that, which is right on their doorstep.”

You can find out more about Richardsons Boating Holidays here.