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2009: a Boom Year for the UK Holiday Industry
14th April 2009 Visit Britain has speculated that there will be an additional 5 million people taking their holidays in the UK in 2009. With further substantial growth forecast as well.VisitBritain executive chairman Christopher Rodrigues, who was speaking at an annual stakeholder event in London, underlined the importance of the tourism industry during the economic downturn.'Despite current economic woes, tourism is one of the few industries that could show growth, with a real opportunity to grow to a £133bn industry by 2018,' he said.Why is this? I believe it’s down to a number of factors...1. The economic downturn. This, in my opinion, not nearly as bad as the media would lead you to believe. However, you cannot open a newspaper, turn on the TV or browse the web without feeling poorer. This has a psychological effect when we choose luxury items – we are buying cheaper cars, eating out less and of course restricting our holiday spend.2. Flights. The price of fuel has driven the cost of flying up considerably. Whether it is up front or a clever series of extras (such as baggage!) – the increase is there for all to see. This has affected the DIY holidaymaker more than most because the economic advantage of booking the accommodation direct (through a website such as www.holidayinyourpocket.com ) relies upon the flights being great value. There are still bargains, mind you – make sure you book as long in advance as you can and make sure you use a search engine that includes all the airlines. Just as Direct Line (for example) have built a whole car insurance campaign around using them direct, so do a lot of the budget carriers restrict which (if any) search engines they can be found on. The best I have found is Kayak which you can Google or find on the front page of a lot of direct booking sites.3. Cash. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know of the trials and tribulations associated with Sterling right now. In a nutshell, it is very weak against most currencies so you get less stuff for your money when you go overseas.I personally welcome this swing towards the UK industry. Apart from the weather, this great country of ours offers some of the most amazing places to see. From mountains, rivers and lakes through beaches and moorland, through to bustling culture-laden cities.And you can still go direct! A lot of the cottage, apartment and barns that are for rent are directly from the owner. Try and avoid ones that go through an agency as there is bound to be a mark-up somewhere. Find what you like, email or pick up the phone, speak to the owner and support the wonderful tourism this country has to offer!
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