The Welsh are among the most patriotic travellers, with many people choosing to holiday in their own country than venturing elsewhere in the UK, according to Sykes Holiday Cottages.

The largest independent holiday rental agency analysed its 2017 bookings and found that 46 per cent of Welsh holidaymakers opted for breaks in other parts of Wales, compared to 40 per cent of the Scottish and just six per cent of those in Southern England.

The research also unveiled the most popular destinations among the Welsh, with Tenby, Saundersfoot, Llanbister and Llandudno topping the list.

It’s not just loyal locals fuelling tourism either – looking at total visits from the UK and overseas, Wales has seen a 28 per cent boost in overall bookings in the last year.

In fact, North Wales was actually the second most sought-after region in the entire UK in 2017 – behind only South West England and accounting for 13 per cent of Sykes’ total staycation bookings.

In response to this growing popularity, Sykes Holiday Cottages recently launched a dedicated ‘cwtch collection’ of 10 cosy Welsh holiday homes inspired by the well-known phrase.

Peter Ford, Sykes’ regional property consultant in Wales, said: “It’s no surprise to us that people in Wales are choosing to holiday at home more than any other region – with Snowdonia, Caerphilly and the Conwy coast on our doorstep, there’s no need to go elsewhere.

“We’ve also seen a 28 per cent boost in overall bookings to Wales in the last year, and are sure this will continue as staycation supporters and those from further afield discover the experiences on offer in this beautiful part of the world.”