Increased interest in seaside and camping breaks

The hotel booking website, hotels.com says it has seen a surge in searches for Britain’s seaside resorts.

Traditional British seaside destinations have become more popular, with searches on the website for Blackpool up 140%, Llandudno up 130% and Brighton up 50%. Bournemouth has seen a rise of 80%.

The most popular destinations are along the English Riviera. Searches for towns such as Torquay and Newquay are up more than 160% on the same time last year.

Another study for travel insurer LV= (www.lv.com) shows the move towards low-cost holidays has led to an 'unprecedented surge' in popularity for camping breaks this summer.

The online poll of 3,237 adults found that nearly twice as many Brits (30%) are considering a camping or caravanning holiday this year compared to those who took one in 2008 (17%).

According to the research, one in three UK adults are planning or considering a camping or caravanning trip this year, with the majority citing cost as the primary motivator for choosing this kind of holiday.

Campers plan to spend an average of £450 on their trip which equates to an estimated injection of £6.1 billion into the UK tourist industry.

Across the country the most popular beauty spots include Cornwall (15% of planned camping trips), the Lake District (12%) and Devon (11%). Other popular destinations for campers include the Yorkshire Dales, Dorset, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, the Peak District and Norfolk.

A spokeswoman for LV= travel insurance said, 'Camping is a fantastic way to experience the great British countryside, and with a hot summer predicted it’s set to be a bumper year for camping and UK holidays in general.'

According to research amongst campsites, carried out by the Camping and Caravanning Club in March 2009, advanced site bookings are up 27% on last year as campers rush to book their patch of grass.

With bookings up and more people than ever claiming to want to stay in Britain for their holidays this year, the Club’s sites director Bob Hill is expecting a record-breaking season. ‘In the current economic climate, camping and caravanning are enjoyable family and cost-efficient options and we are already reaping the benefits,’ Hill said.