A busy year ahead for UK tourism operators

Silly season is in full swing for LDS Tourism Services - the team is working flat-out accepting deliveries at the Border Distribution Centre and buzzing about the region ensuring our clients’ new leaflets are prominently displayed.

Around the UK as a whole, domestic tourism appears to be on the rise. Camping and caravanning breaks are more popular than ever (up 11% in 2011). According to Mintel, one in three residents report having been on a caravanning or camping break in the last three years, and Pitchup.com have revealed that there was a 50% increase in 'glamping' sites listed on their website in 2011. The latter also say that green campsites are among the most popular and, perhaps more surprisingly, there has been a sharp rise in the number of adult-only trips.

We’ve recently turned up several fascinating UK trends, which we felt were worth sharing with our readers:

Ø  Pet-friendly hotels saw a 132% rise in bookings in 2011 (LateRooms.com) 

Ø  The UK is the largest single source of over 55 year-old holidaymakers (World Travel Monitor) 

Ø  Over a third (39%) of people say access to Wi-Fi is a ‘deal-breaker’ when booking a hotel (Plusnet) 

Ø  The UK is now the third most admired tourist destination globally (Anholt-GFK Roper NBI) 

Brits are being urged to invite friends, relatives and past customers from around the world to visit the UK this year as part of VisitBritain’s 'GREAT Britain - You're Invited' marketing programme. Using the catchphrase ‘Share Your GREAT Britain’, the public, local communities and businesses across the country are being offered a free online toolkit that will allow them to personalise their greeting and invite their global network to the UK for their next holiday.

Finally, Tory MPs are calling for a UK Bank Holiday on 15th June 2015 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta – the famous medieval document giving rights to the people. A bill has been proposed to replace the May Bank Holiday, which is already under discussion, with a day to celebrate the momentous occasion when King John met his barons in 1215 and sealed the Great Charter. Should the Magna Carta anniversary be a Bank Holiday? Please share your views and we’ll publish a selection of the most interesting submissions on this blog.

Image: Talacre Lighthouse, North Wales, ©CopyrightFreePhotos.com