United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
No-frills carriers damaging domestic tourism
The UK domestic tourism industry is being threatened by the lure of low-cost holidays abroad, according to an industry expert.
TRI Hospitality Consulting joint managing director, Trevor Ward blames low cost airlines for a 7% drop in UK residents taking trips at home. He said: “The domestic tourism market is being very successfully wooed by the low cost airlines, flying to exotic locations for considerably less than the cost of travelling to a UK destination”.
Mr Ward contributed to the British Hospitality Association’s Trends and Statistics 2002 report. According to the report, last year UK residents took 58 million trips abroad, up by 2.3% from 2000. While trips abroad increased, domestic holidays fell from 175.4 million in 2000 to 163.1 million trips in 2001.
Conflicting views come from the English Tourism Council, which says domestic tourism is buoyant. A spokesperson from ETC said: “It is true to say that more people are going abroad, but the number of holidays in the UK has also increased. It is the overseas visitor numbers that are still a down, particularly from the US”.
Superbreak, a hotel reservations website for the UK and Europe, has found domestic bookings are on the up. Superbreak has reported that its busiest week was the first week in July, with an average of 5,000 calls per day to its reservations centre. Contrary to what the figures from the BHA suggest, Superbreak bookings in 2001 were more than 20% above 2000. The figures for the first six months of this year are also positive, showing a 30% increase in bookings from the same period in 2001. A spokesperson for the company said that although these figures include bookings from Europe, only 5% of its business was for bookings outside the UK, so the figures are representative of the UK market.
The spokesperson added that all-weather attractions such as the Eden Project in Cornwall, the British Airways London Eye, and Salford Quays in Manchester were proving popular, and helped boost domestic tourism.
Related News Stories:
Kittipong Prapattong’s Plan for Thailand’s Tourism Growth: Taxes, Visas, and Campaigns
James Jin: Didatravel’s Journey from China to Global Reach and the Impact of AI on Travel
Darien Schaefer on Pensacola’s Evolution: From Small Town to Global Destination
Florida Tourism’s Next Frontier: Dana Young on Expanding Beyond the Classics
Patrick Harrison on Tampa Bay Tourism’s Resilience and Marketing Strategy
Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene
Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee
Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail
Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats
Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence
Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy
Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida
Dozens fall ill in P&O Cruises ship outbreak
Turkish Airlines flight in emergency landing after pilot dies
Boy falls to death on cruise ship
Unexpected wave rocks cruise ship
Storm Lilian travel chaos as bank holiday flights cancelled