'Our best summer EVER' British staycations post-Brexit add £1.4BILLION to UK economy
STAGGERING figures have revealed a £1.4billion boom to British tourism since the UK decided to ditch the European Union.
Statistics saw a hike in staycations by Britons since the historic June 23 vote as British holidaymakers revealed “it’s been our best summer ever”.
Findings from Tourism Alliance revealed a whopping £2.4billion extra takings in 2016 from holidays in Britain.
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An extra £725million has also been spent across the UK’s popular tourist destinations this year and the figures look set to rise again thanks to a flux of foreign visitors post-Brexit.
Britain is now set for a record-breaking year by surpassing the £127billion of 2015 with the Tourism Alliance forecasting a 17 per cent rise in Britons taking holidays in the UK.
Carolyn Armstrong, owner of the Headland Hotel in Newquay, Cornwall, told the Mail: “It’s been our best summer ever. Businesses across the area are booming – it’s unbelievable.”
We are having our best summer to date
Jules Swanne, of Croyde Surf Academy in Devon, added: “We are having our best summer to date. The weather has been outstanding and the surf school has never been busier.”
In another boost, the alliance director Kurt Janson revealed the billion pound boost will create at least 40,000 new jobs in tourism.
Chief executive of Amaris Hospitality John Brennan said: “This has been a very good summer for the group.
“Strong performance has mainly come from the domestic UK market, particularly in the key staycation markets such as Brighton, which is really benefiting from this upward lift.”
Tourism had been expected to rise following the referendum as the value of the pound dipped, making it more expensive for Britons to go abroad.
Earlier this month it was revealed inbound flight reservations rose 4.3 per cent in the 28 days to July 21 compared to the same period last year.
Chief executive Olivier Jager for travel information firm ForwardKeys, who made the findings, said: “Brexit had an immediate, positive impact on inbound tourism to the UK, which is converting into better than anticipated arrivals.”
Bookings from outside Europe were up 8.6 per cent in the 28 days after Brexit compared with the same period last year, having been down 0.1 per cent the month before Brexit, driven by visitors from Hong Kong, the United States and Canada.
