Eastbourne in top 10 of ‘staycation’ boom

Eastbourne has been ranked amongst the top 10 UK resorts all receiving a boost in bookings as Brits chose to holiday at home this summer. In a survey carried out by Shearings on 140,000 British holidaymakers, the popular tour operator reported a 12% rise in tourists opting for the sunny Sussex coast.

With increasing numbers of Brits all trying to beat the credit crunch by taking a ‘staycation’ instead of a vacation this year, Eastbourne has been polled seventh in a British league table of the most popular destinations for 2008.

Eastbourne Borough Council Spokesperson for Tourism, Cllr Steve Wallis said “It is brilliant news that more and more Brits are choosing to holiday at home this year and explore the beautiful resorts on their doorsteps. Eastbourne, with its record sunshine statistics, stunning South Downs countryside, picturesque Victorian promenade, excellent amenities and events, and varied and vibarant nightlife has everything today’s tourist is after and certainly rivals overseas destinations.”

The latest survey from Shearings follows a report earlier this year that Eastbourne hotel bookings are up a whopping 66% according to lastminute.com. With the cost of fuel rising and fears of a recession, higher numbers of Brits are saying goodbye to summer holidays abroad and opting for a chilled out break on the Sussex shore.

Eastbourne Tourist Information Centre is also receiving more visitors than ever through the doors, as the number of people visiting Eastbourne continues to rise. The first three month of this financial year saw 16,000 more visitors through the door compared to the same period in 2007 and with over 1,400 people through its doors everyday, that figure looks to continue to rise.

With plenty of recent investment in Eastbourne’s accommodation portfolio, statistics for the resort’s official website reflect the reported rise in tourists opting for the seaside resort this summer.

July 2008 saw nearly 600 bookings made online through VisitEastbourne.com, the highest number of bookings in one month since the website was re-launched just over a year ago.

Offering the facility to book online for over 100 hotels, guest-houses and self-catering accommodation, visitors looking to make a staycation in Eastbourne can choose from a wide selection of accommodation. From the new designer budget Big Sleep Hotel to the town’s first art hotel, the da Vinci; from a chilled out self-catering break at the Guest House East to 5-star luxury at the magnificent Grand Hotel.

For more information or to book a break in Eastbourne, log on to Visiteastbourne.com.