Huge rise in Kent staycations
by business editor
Trevor Sturgess
Holiday businesses have enjoyed a bumper
summer - with a jump in “staycations”.
This is expected to fuel an estimated £90m
injection into the Kent economy.
Figures released by VisitKent, the
organisation that promotes the county as a great place for holiday
breaks, has revealed that 810,604 people visited the county’s many
attractions by the end of July.
That is a rise of 81,688 over the same period
in 2008 and worth an extra £3m in spending.
Visit Kent estimates that day trips to the
county so far this year are up around 11 per cent, which it says
could equate to almost £86.3 million in extra spend.
Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive, said:
“Kent has had a super summer and these figures go to show that
tourism is a clear winner at supporting Kent in a speedier recovery
from the recession.”
VisitEngland also reports that holiday trips
taken by UK residents in England in the first six months of 2009
are up by 14 per cent, or 2.6m more than the same period a year
ago.
East Kent hotelier Gavin Oakley said bookings
for holidays and short breaks at his business Wallett’s Court
Country House Hotel and Spa at Westcliffe, near Dover, and the
White Cliffs Hotel at St Margaret’s, had been “well above
expectations.”
“At the beginning of 2009 there was a lot of
pessimism about the prospects for the UK’s tourism industry in the
face of a vicious recession,” he said. “We were determined to
confront this head-on and our hard work and dedication has
certainly paid off. “
A large tipi installed in the grounds of
Wallett’s Court to provide an unusual bedroom has been fully booked
for months and two more are on order for next year.
05/10/09
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