South West Love Hubs: Is your hometown a hotspot for romance?  

Paris? Milan? Vienna? Or as 58% of Brits have decided, nowhere. It’s safe to say that all our plans of finding an Italian stallion or Viennese Prince this year have been grounded. So, it’s time to find love on our home turf. But where is the best place to find love? International dating app, happn, has conducted research to discover how Brits are tackling hometown dating and where in the UK is the top hotspot for romance.  

We each seek something different when dating, whether that be an adrenaline rush or a simple dinner date. 40% of people from the South West say they would opt for a long romantic walk over a restaurant (34%) or a beach (37%), a surprising amount of people, (53%!), said their main aim when seeking a romantic hotspot was to feel relaxed, counterintuitive to what most would presume as only 9% said they were seeking to feel aroused.   

At present, we are being forced to explore not only our local areas (given the anxious game of holiday roulette some singles are playing!), but also discover new people and make real connections, instead of hitting Ibiza for a season with the boys. 

So where is ready for love in the UK? Well, 39% of South Westerners said they appreciate their own hometown more after the lockdown period. 

The survey found the top hotspots for romance across the whole of the South West, highlighting where singles will be searching for connections. 

Marine Ravinet, Head of Trends at happn, said: “Our research shows that Brits are remembering what they love about their local area, as well as where they’ll be heading to make a socially-distanced connection! It’s so important to remember what we’ve learnt over the past few months: connections can be formed in any kind of circumstance and it’s so key to do so.” 

So it seems, for Brits, love happn’s at home.