Accommodation providers in England saw an increase in bookings during the summer school holiday period compared to last year, according to a new survey by VisitEngland.
Out of 300 accommodation providers surveyed for VisitEngland’s "Tourism Business Performance and Confidence Monitor," half stated that their visitor numbers from mid-July to the end of August were up when compared to the same period in 2017. The research showed that the increase in bookings during the summer holiday period came from both domestic and overseas visitors.
The research, published this week, also asked about the expected performance of those accommodation businesses surveyed from the end of the summer holidays until the end of October this year. It showed that 92 percent said they were confident about their business performance during the time frame. Sixty-seven percent also reported good or very good advance booking levels until the end of next month.
Looking out to the rest of 2018, more than half of the accommodation providers surveyed expected their performance to be better than in 2017.
“It is encouraging to see that accommodation providers and visitor attractions have experienced a strong summer with bookings up on last year and confidence sustained beyond the peak season,” VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates said in a statement. “These results are testament to the quality and range of experiences on offer year-round across England.”
This evidence of a strong summer follows VisitEngland’s Trip-Tracker survey, which showed that 7.3 million Brits were planning an overnight holiday in the UK during the August bank holiday weekend, bringing an estimated £1.75 billion boost to the economy.
From January to May this year, Brits took 16.2 million vacations in England, on par with the previous record set in 2009. Tourism is worth £127 billion annually to the UK economy.