04/11/2009 - Staycations boost British tourism
Latest figures indicate a sunny July for UK tourism as Britons chose to holiday closer to home.
VisitEngland revealed a 20% rise in the number of trips in the UK by Britons involving at least one overnight stay during the month, and a 13% increase in spending when compared with July 2008.
There were 2.1 million leisure holiday trips taken in July this year, an increase of 32% on the number of trips taken for holiday purposes in the same month last year.
The figures show that the total trips, including business trips and visits to friends and relatives, taken by Britons in the UK have risen 4% in January-July 2009 compared with the same period last year.
VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: "We intend to work with the whole of the English tourism industry to ensure this trend is sustainable through 2010 and beyond."
But the drop in business travel suggests that the rise in expenditure on these UK trips by Britons in January-July 2009 has been just 1%.
"There are still a number of businesses suffering, specifically those in the business travel market," Mr Berresford said.
Copyright © Press Association 2009
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