Newquay enjoys European visitor boost
The official Tourism body for Newquay and a number of the town’s leading hotels are reporting an increase in European bookings for the 2010 season, giving the popular resort a boost to its year round trade.
The Euro to sterling conversion rates would appear to be making the UK, and in particular Newquay in Cornwall, a very popular destination for the overseas market.
Cornwall and Devon have always been popular destinations with overseas visitors with people from Germany, Holland and Belgium making up the bulk of European customers.
A number of hotels in the seaside resort have seen a clear increase in the number of group bookings for 2010. The Hotel Victoria in the centre of Newquay has enjoyed a steady increase in foreign travellers over the years.
Tony Townsend form Hotel Victoria, said: “We have worked hard to ensure we deliver exactly what the European coach operator is looking for at the Hotel Victoria. This has seen the interest in foreign group travel build steadily now over the last four to five years, especially the Austrian and German market.
“This year we have seen another increase with an average of one coach a week from Germany every week from April through to September. Many of the trips are for four nights or more which is a great boost to our year round occupancy rates, pushing our overseas trade up 20% on last year.”
The Esplanade Hotel has also seen an increase in the number of European visitors staying at the hotel. The latest figures show a growth of more than 20% year on year from 2008 for private and group bookings.
James Nettleton, Director of The Esplanade Hotel added: “We are enjoying growth in all year round business at The Esplanade and a considerable proportion of our guests visit us from across Europe. In particular, we have seen a notable rise in the number of German groups that stayed with us in 2009 and have made repeat bookings for 2010.
“Our location at Fistral Beach, large public areas in the hotel and our adjoining Quiksilver surf school are all of great appeal to larger visiting parties. And, in terms of the wider local area, Newquay has a lot to offer European visitors - our stunning coastline, fine beaches and wide range of outdoor activities to name just a few.’
The official tourism website for the town, visitnewquay.org has seen a dramatic increase in traffic from overseas. Comparing the past two months with the same period last year the site has seen a 35% increase in visits from Germany, 80% increase in visits from France and an 11% increase in visits from Netherlands.
Richard Wilcox, Business Development Manager for Tourism Newquay said: “Newquay has a great appeal to overseas visitors and many of the hotels in the town have made the most of the opportunity presented to them by the strong Euro. Newquay’s location is also working in its favour as it is proving to be a popular area for groups to base themselves while exploring the rest of the county.
“Our website visitnewquay.org has seen many more hits from overseas in the past six months, showing that there is a definite interest and desire to travel to Newquay.”
Newquay’s original four-star luxury Headland Hotel has also seen an increase in European guests, predominantly from Germany, France and Spain.
Veryan Armstrong from The Headland Hotel said: “The increase in European visitors that we have seen at The Headland could be attributed to the fantastic location that Newquay enjoys, coupled with the great transport links provided by Newquay Airport. Within the town we have an abundance of great accommodation, attractions, and things to do, which will provide our European neighbours with a great holiday or business trip at whatever time of year they visit.”
Richard Wilcox concluded: “It is wonderful to see so many of our hotels reporting an increase in European bookings. It is our challenge to ensure that once the strength of the pound increases we do not lose our overseas visitors. There is a fine balance to be had and we have to ensure that Newquay remains a popular destination no matter what the state of the economy.”
