UK Tourism on the Rise, Along with the Weather

Positive weather predictions boost UK tourism

The Met Office's prediction that the UK would see warm and dry weather this summer has led to a surge of domestic holiday bookings, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper claims that many leading travel agents and tour operators are seeing significant increases in bookings from Britons taking their summer holidays at home in 2009, as households cut back on overseas holidays due to the economic pressures of the global recession.

One travel company told the Telegraph that, on the day of the Met Office announcement - Thursday April 30 - online bookings more than doubled. And over last week's Bank Holiday weekend, the number of reservations were up by 103 per cent on the same period in 2008.

Scotland is proving to be one of the most popular destinations for domestic tourists this year, with tourists flocking to the Edinburgh festivals in August, scenic spots in the Highlands and Islands of north Scotland and Homecoming Scotland events across the country.

Other destinations sought out by those holidaying at home are the Lake District- England's biggest national park - and Cornwall in the south west, which is home to several seaside towns like Newquay and Falmouth.

As well as traditional hotels and cottages, camping and caravanning also looks set to be popular in 2009. Jon Dale from The Camping and Caravanning Club told the Telegraph:

"The interest in both camping and caravanning since the turn of the year has been quite incredible. If the weather is as good as predicted by the Met Office then I expect us to have one of our busiest summers on record."

Official tourist board Visit Britain has forecast a 20 per cent rise in the number of people holidaying at home, will Visit Scotland has predicted a 25 per cent increase in domestic tourists.

Technorati Tags: tourism, uk, weather, climate