After waxing lyrical last week about the quality of the tourism product on offer in the US, attention this week turns much closer to home.
This special UK & Ireland edition of Travel Weekly celebrates tourism on the home front which, as you will read has defied predictions of a downturn.
And the good news for travel agents is that this enduring so-called staycation trend isn’t coming at the expense of outbound travel.
The other good news appears to be that the coming together of VisitEngland and VisitBritain hasn’t dampened those two organisations’ enthusiasm for working with the trade. The tourism boards are partnering with some of the biggest names in the UK travel sector on its new ‘memorable moments’ campaign supported by its #OMGB social media hashtag.
In addition, a £40 million fund to boost inbound tourism could help tackle the UK’s ‘tourism deficit’ and encourage a more sanguine attitude towards outbound travel in government.
That money will go towards making some of the amazing attractions the UK has to offer fully bookable online for overseas and domestic visitors. One of the recurring themes for Travel Weekly readers is to what extent they can take advantage of demand for domestic holidays, which are often booked direct.
Enabling agents to package all the elements of great British holidays for their clients could be the key to them grabbing a slice of this vibrant sector. As my colleague Lee Hayhurst was telling all who’d listen this week after an Easter break in Keswick, it’s hard to beat the best of British.