UK cities are gathering pace as Britons’ choice for a domestic short break, a new Travelodge report has found.
The hotel chain’s analysis into 2012 found UK city breaks now account for 23% of domestic tourism, while ‘giants’ including Great Yarmouth, Blackpool and Newquay have seen an average 5% drop each in visitors.
Amongst the cities Liverpool has seen the most growth for the hotel chain with a 23% boost in visitors, compared to a 2.6% average rise for UK cities.
“Our report confirms UK tourism has successfully weathered the recession and outperformed other key sectors, which is great news,” said Grant Hearn, CEO of Travelodge. “We have a real opportunity within our grasp which can play a significant part in helping our economy to recover; our lack of immediate action is costing jobs, growth and investment.”
He called on the Government to move tourism higher up on its agenda and move into the Department for Business, Skills and Innovation which could set performance targets and collaborate more with the industry.
Hearn also called for a Minister of Tourism to be reinstated and a united approach to tourism across the UK with funding made available to regions. A total of 10 points were outlined.