Anybody who keeps track of the press will have probably seen a rather disturbing article over the past week, with one newspaper highlighting how some of the once-popular seaside towns are now complete ruins, and barely attract any tourism. Blackpool was the feature of this particular article and while this is probably the best example of certain parts of the UK tourism industry being brought crashing down, it’s certainly not the only one.
However, this article shouldn’t suggest that UK tourism is dying out. While certain seaside destinations might not be our cup of tea anymore, recent statistics have still shown that more and more residents are opting to stay in the country, rather than hop out on the next budget flight to Europe.
So, why are certain parts of Britain becoming tourist traps? Here, we’ll take a look at four of the reasons why we think this has started to become the case.
Reason #1 – Resorts have been “fine-tuned”
The opening to this article concentrated on some now-derelict seaside towns, that were once absolutely rammed to capacity during the peak holiday season. The reason why a lot of these regions eventually failed was simple; they just couldn’t compete with the exotic, and eventually cheap, nature of Spain and other nearby European getaway destinations.
This means that UK resorts have to be something special. The “all inclusive” model is certainly enticing for a lot of visitors. For example, take to Suffolk, and you’ll stumble across the Ufford Park Hotel and this combines golf, spa, fitness club and even wedding facilities in one location. In essence, it keeps everything on site in the most upmarket way possible – and that’s something that a lot of UK tourists are now demanding. Gone are the days where cheap and cheerful is the norm, us Brits now want something more for our money.
Reason #2 – Michael O’Leary
This is the man who made those holidays to sun-baked European destinations completely possible, with Michael O’Leary being the main person behind budget airline Ryanair’s success. However, while he may have brought flight prices lower than anyone ever thought was possible – he’s slowly alienating his loyal customers.
Budget airlines are starting to add more and more chargeable extras onto their packages, and this is just making a lot of flyers question whether it’s all worth it. Cramming your legs into a budget plane isn’t pleasant at the best of times, not least when you know you’ve just paid £50 after forgetting to print out your boarding pass. Instead, that car journey down to the coast seems much more enticing.
Reason #3 – Your furry friends
This sounds almost ridiculous, but with 25% of households owning a dog, it’s not actually that surprising to read that many people simply cannot bear to be without their furry friend for a week. Admittedly, the EU laws have been relaxed in relation to taking dogs out of the country, but taking your hound to the red hot Mediterranean beaches is hardly going to be a tip listed in the Good Pet Owner’s Guide.
Kennelling costs are high but in truth, more and more people just don’t want to abandon their pet for their holiday. Most resorts in this country are now completely pet friendly and that can carve the perfect getaway for most families.
Reason #4 – Britain Can’t Be Beaten, In Some Regards
It’s got its critics, but let’s concentrate on the positives of Great Britain. It has some of the best attractions around and the fact that London is constantly flooded with foreign tourists says everything you need to know about how hot the country’s tourism market can be.
In other regards, it excels at golf, has some of the best hotels in the world and despite the weather, really isn’t all that bad. When you also bring pounds, shilling and pence into the equation – should we really be surprised that Britain is finally starting to compete with its exotic rivals?