The host town of Olympic and Paralympic sailing in 2012, Weymouth, has seen holiday bookings increase by 26 per cent according to one of the UK’s leading holiday homes agencies.
The surge in bookings suggests the Games coupled with Visit Britain’s latest campaign aimed at encouraging more Brits to take a holiday at home this year, has had a positive effect, not only for London but across the whole of the UK.
The South West in particular has witnessed a significant boost in domestic holidays with passenger numbers through Bristol Airport rising for the third consecutive year, making it the only airport in the UK’s top ten to see growth each year since 2009.
The research conducted by Holiday Cottages, shows the nearby historic city of Bath has seen bookings rise by 22 per cent on last year, followed closely by the Cornish Beauty spots of Looe and Polperro, witnessing a boost in bookings of 18 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
Many of these towns have not only benefited from a surge in bookings, but are also amongst the top ten most popular searched destinations in the South West. Bath took the top spot with an increase in searches of 330 per cent followed by pretty Padstow and the ever popular holiday spot of Bude.
James Morris, Managing Director at Holiday Cottages said: “The UK has so many beautiful destinations to offer holidaymakers and this year’s rise in bookings, is no doubt a welcome relief to many holiday towns and villages that rely on a thriving tourism trade. 2013 is set to be a bumper year for domestic holidays, following the success of the Olympic Games and Queen’s Jubilee, so it’s great to see these events will have a lasting impact on British Tourism.”
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