Go local this summer holiday

Forget volcanic ash, the rising Euro and economic uncertainty, cottages4you is promoting holidays in the UK and giving local businesses the chance to win a £1,000 grant.

Although last year saw a huge increase in holidays at home, leading holiday letting agency, cottages4you, has found that the trend is continuing with 58 per cent of holidaymakers* put off taking a foreign holiday in 2010. The risk of flight disruption through strikes and the volcanic ash has meant more people are being forced to reconsider their plans and book a UK break.

The UK offers a multitude of holiday destinations, whether town or country, coastal or inland. To help plan the perfect break, cottages4you has launched a new Go Local guide, available on the website cottages4you.co.uk to help find the best Britain has to offer.

The Go Local guide champions independent businesses which help make people’s holidays memorable. It is a collection of customer recommendations of places to go, things to do and where to eat and drink. Holidaymakers can easily use the online guide to locate fun filled days out, the best place to stock up on local produce and where to go for dinner. cottages4you is asking holidaymakers to continue to share their findings, to ensure the guide contains the latest new discoveries for others to enjoy.

What’s more, cottages4you is looking to reward local businesses who go above and beyond for their customers – giving four UK businesses the chance to win a £1,000 grant to help develop their enterprise. The Go Local Champions will be nominated throughout the summer by holidaymakers who feel that a shop, cafe, restaurant, pub or attraction has had a special impact on their holiday. A shortlist of finalists will then be drawn and an overall winner for each category will be announced in the Autumn.

Geoff Cowley, managing director of cottages4you said: “We received thousands of nominations last summer from holidaymakers who found that taking a break at home was a real chance to explore the delights on our doorstep.

“We hope the campaign will identify the Go Local Champions which promote the best of British and reward the local businesses which make such a difference to our holidays.”

To nominate a local eatery, shop or day out visit: cottages4you.co.uk

* Survey carried out via cottages4you twitter feed between 4th – 21st May.