The Green Man Family Inn

BRITS TURN TO UK LEISURE BREAKS AS CREDIT CRUNCH HITS FOREIGN HOLIDAYS.

Holidaymakers, worried about the credit crunch and poor exchange rates, are shunning expensive foreign holidays and booking their summer breaks in Britain.

Travel agents are reporting a significant drop in sales of foreign holidays compared with last summer and, at the same time, there has been a increase in requests for information about trips closer to home.

Statistics released today by internet search engine Kelkoo, show the number of people looking for UK breaks is up by 39% compared with last year. Searches for information about over-seas trips were down 12 per cent.

Popular British options included self-catering cottages in the Lake District, Cornwall and Dorset, covering Bournemouth, Poole and Swanage, with searches up 21%. The number of people looking for walking holidays and short breaks in Britain was up 18%.

Mark Pickering, Marketing Manager for English Rose Hotels, said: “The number of people viewing the Leisure Break section of our web site is already double that of the figure from last Summer! Whilst we do have a hotel in Bournemouth, the area highlighted in the statistics produced by Kelkoo, the greatest increase in traffic for us has been from those searching for hotels in Scarborough – particularly The Royal Hotel and Hackness Country House Hotel

Scarborough proving popular with holidaymakers shunning foreign travel

Bruce Fair, managing director of Kelkoo, said: “The trend for people to holiday at home seems to be driven by the credit crunch and the underlying lack of confidence in consumer spending.

“European countries with the euro are so expensive now – I was in Paris and was charged the equivalent of £8 for a pint of beer – which is bound to put people off.”

For those still determined to holiday abroad, the Post Office has named Thailand, South Africa and Egypt as the cheapest overseas destinations this year. Its holiday costs barometer, based on the price of holiday essentials overseas, also found the US was cheaper than many European destinations, with a bottle of Coca-Cola costing £1.60 in Florida, compared with £2.94 in France. In Spain, renting a car costs £58.87 a day, while in Florida it is £28.06.

Sian Branchley, spokeswoman for Visit Britain, said: “The feedback we have been getting is people are taking another look at holidaying at home because of the current financial climate. We have destinations that rival overseas.”

She said more people were visiting Liverpool and the North-West this year, while seaside towns were also doing well.

For more information on great value leisure breaks in the UK with English Rose Hotels, visit our Special Offers section.

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