Beat the credit crunch and the weather with a staycation in Kent

With reports that the recent unsettled weather is likely to continue, rain-weary UK families who had committed to ‘staycations’ in the UK in an effort to beat the credit crunch are being forced to consider last minute deals abroad.

What they haven’t realised is the wealth of indoor attractions and days out that can be had, particularly in Kent, meaning the weather is no longer a deterring factor.

To offer these families a reason to stay in the UK, Visit Kent, which represents the tourism industry in Kent, has teamed up with Southeastern, Kent’s rail provider, to make a day out or short break to the county even better value for money when you go by train.

On presentation of a voucher and a valid train ticket, Londoners and visitors to the capital can get fantastic offers at iconic indoor and outdoor attractions and activities throughout the county, including 2 entry tickets for the price of 1 at Canterbury Cathedral, Dickens World in Chatham, Bluewater Shopping Centre and Dover Castle.

For those that really want to make a weekend of it, many hotels are also taking part in the campaign. For example overnight stays at flagship hotels such as Hotel Du Vin, Tunbridge Wells and The Hythe Imperial are all ‘2 for 1’, which means an entire trip can be arranged from offers, resulting in an extremely reasonably-priced break.

The campaign has been launched to encourage families from the capital and those visiting London not only to experience the abundance of attractions that Kent has to offer, but to do so by train. The obvious benefits to the environment aside, this means no stressful driving in traffic jams and no worries about parking! And with travel times from London to all over Kent averaging under an hour, it is not only a great price, but hassle free too!

In order to take advantage of the offer, pick up a Visit Kent book of vouchers which can be found at all large Southeastern stations or print vouchers from the campaign website visitkentbytrain.co.uk.

Amanda Cottrell, Chairman of Visit Kent said, “We are delighted to be able to offer families a reasonably priced alternative to going abroad this summer despite the rain! We are also pleased to be working with Southeastern on this campaign as it enables us to promote an entire package – travel, accommodation, food and drink and of course Kent’s spectacular attractions, all with huge discounts. It really is great for families who still want to have fun despite the credit crunch and weather.”

Vince Lucas, Managing Director at Southeastern said, “Travelling to Kent by train is the quickest, most economic and environmentally friendly way to see the county, so we are really pleased to be backing a campaign that encourages people to do so.”