Online hotel booking company LateRooms.com says its figures show tourism figures are at a record high for resorts like Southend. They put the surge down to a combination of factors, such as investment in Southend, hot summers and turmoil in traditional overseas holiday spots. Strikes by French ferry workers, financial chaos in Greece and terror attacks in places like Tunisia and Turkey have all persuaded people to holiday closer to home.
Many UK seaside resorts have seen big increases in tourism over the last five years, but none more so than Southend:
Southend-on-Sea - bookings up by 374% since 2011
Minehead - up by 262%
Skegness - up by 191%
Whitby - up by 100%
Blackpool - up by 72%
Margate - up by 55%
Weymouth - up by 45%
Eastbourne - up by 40%
Andrea Tarpey from LateRooms.com said: “Along with trends for afternoon tea, knitting and picnics, our passion for the UK’s beach resorts shows we’re feeling nostalgic this year.
“With great investment being made in the facilities and attractions too, we see this as a trend that’s definitely set to continue.”