UK: 10% rise in domestic holidays in April

Britain enjoyed a 10% rise in domestic holiday trips taken in April this year, as tourism spend climbed by 5%.vThat’s according to the results of the Great British Tourism Survey (GBTS) released by VisitEngland yesterday. The survey showed that while the early months of the year were characterised by very wet weather, which had a negative impact on figures, the mild Easter had a positive effect, with 3.8 million domestic holiday trips taken during April.

Year-to-date holiday trips for 2014 are now on a par with 2013, and tourism spend is up by 6%. Over 90% of businesses said they felt confident about the summer holidays, with over 70% of accommodation providers reporting strong forward bookings for the rest of the school holiday period.

Addressing the poor start to the year, VisitEngland launched a £2m Government-funded campaign to support businesses affected by the floods including business support workshops in affected areas and an advertising campaign to combat negative perceptions and drive holiday bookings in England ahead of the Easter break. 

VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “It is fantastic to see a boost in domestic holiday trips and spend for April and businesses feeling confident as the summer holiday period gets well underway. This demonstrates the resilience of the tourism industry following the impact of the extreme weather earlier this year and the success of the flood support campaign. We have seen the trend to holiday at home soar in the past five years and it’s a trend we’re confident will continue.”