Eastbourne attracts more visitors this summer

Despite the unpredictable weather this summer, Eastbourne is attracting thousands more visitors into the town as website hits increase nearly two-fold and Holiday Guide requests rise by 50%.

The latest statistics for August 2008 show that compared to the same month in 2007, Eastbourne’s official tourism website VisitEastbourne.com has received an extra 240,000 hits. The number of people requesting Eastbourne 2008 Holiday Guides has also increased by 2,000 year on year, with the resort’s Tourist Information Centre reporting a 21% rise in visitors through its doors from January to August this year compared to the same period in 2007.

Eastbourne Borough Council Spokesperson for Tourism, Cllr Steve Wallis said “These latest statistics are very promising and reflect what a brilliant holiday resort Eastbourne is. Despite some poor weather this year, Eastbourne does have the best sunshine record in the country and a significant number of visitors are choosing to holiday here and enjoy days out in our beautiful town. With some exciting events coming up including Speed Days and the town’s Beer Festival, we expect to see plenty more visitors into the town over the next few months.”

Over 180,000 visitors have walked through the doors of Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre over the past eight months and bookings for National Express and Flagship coaches, as well as sales of the centre’s exclusive Day Save train tickets for Southern Rail are reaching all time highs.

Since the start of this financial year, over 13,000 Day Save train tickets have been sold. Offering unlimited off-peak day travel on Southern Rail for just £10 per person, residents and visitors are making the most of this fantastic offer that allows them to travel as far as London, Ashford, and Portsmouth all in one day. The centre’s most popular item, the number of tickets sold over the past five months averages at a phenomenal 108 per day!

With VisitEastbourne.com offering online booking for more than 100 Eastbourne hotels, guesthouses and self-catering accommodation, bookings are up 21% since April when compared to last year.

The latest figures are announced as tour operator Shearings reveal that Eastbourne polled seventh in a British league table of resorts that are all benefitting from the rise in the ‘staycation’ trend as Brits feel the pinch of the credit crunch.

For more information on Eastbourne, log on to Visiteastbourne.com.