Bournemouth's economy set to profit from record number of 'staycations' this Bank Holiday
More Brits than ever are planning domestic overnight trips due to cost-of-living concerns
Last updated 25th Aug 2023
More Brits could be visiting Bournemouth this Bank Holiday as a record 9.7 million people plan ‘a holiday at home this weekend’.
According to Visit England, this is an increase of 4.4 million on last year’s results when only 5.3 million Brits planned to stay in the UK for the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Bournemouth remains one of the premiere tourist hotspots in the country, attracting around 30 million people every year and contributing £1bn to the local economy annually.
Cllr Millie Earl, Deputy Leader of the Council, told us: “We are so lucky to have some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, almost 15 miles of golden sand, and some of the cleanest, most inviting swimming waters as well.”
The upcoming Bank Holiday is estimated to boost the economy by £2.7bn nationally and after what has been a mixed summer to date, businesses along the Bournemouth’s seafront and surrounding area will be pleased.
“It's really sad when the weather isn't good, particularly for somewhere that relies on that summer trade,” Cllr Millie Bright said: “We're hoping that the recent sunny conditions will mean that we'll have lots of people over the bank holiday weekend to come and support our economy.”
Research found that the cost-of-living crisis has impacted people’s travels intentions, hence the near 10 million people ‘holidaying at home’ compared to the 7.3 million in 2018 and 6.9 million in 2017.
Businesses will be looking to the long weekend for a critical late summer lift, building vital cash flow.
Although Bournemouth did experience a busy May and June. Cllr Bright said: “Tourism is really important to our local economy; it supports around 17,000 jobs directly and in the last bank holiday we actually saw lots of people visit.”
More than 36,000 ice creams were sold in Bournemouth during the May Bank Holiday. Businesses will hope to return to those figures again this weekend.