English holidays fared well this summer

Latest figures released by VisitEngland have shown that the English tourist did well for their economy this year and opted for a great deal of more staycations than last year. Figures on English holidays were up by almost 25 per cent compared to the same period last year and spending by the English also rose 16 per cent compared to 2008. It wasn’t just the English either, as UK residents’ holidays in England increased by 40 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Just for July 2009, a staggering 7.2 million extra nights were booked by holidaying Brits in hotels, hostels and caravan sites. It really was the summer for a British revival and we all made the most of it with the average spend increasing by 13 per cent per trip. The whole of the UK also had a rise in the holiday market with a 32 per cent rise in holidays taken throughout Britain. These figures have shown how people have foregone their foreign trip and opted for a holiday at home this year.

The weather was not the best by a long way and the Met Office made a mistake early on in the year when they predicted the best summer the UK had seen in a long time was on its way. However, after just a short sunny spell in June, they retracted their statement and said it would not be that great. Staycationers had already made their plans by this point and were not about to be put off and still holidayed in their thousands at some of the UK’s best known places.