Bed & Breakfast News Sept-Oct 2016 (#42) | Page 9

Visit our website: | bandbnews.co.uk | 9 The number of Brits taking short-breaks in England was up 10% compared to the previous year with people also taking about 4 million more short-breaks in England than they did ten years ago. Also in 2015 domestic seaside holiday trips were up 7%, city holidays up 6% and countryside holidays up 12%. Begbies Traynor, the UK’s leading independent insolvency firm, expects the UK’s tourism industry to be one of the first sectors of the economy to benefit from the Brexit vote “fallout”, as the weak pound makes Britain an even more desirable and cost effective holiday destination for both domestic and international holidaymakers. According to Begbies Traynor’s research, British tourism businesses were already in a state of improving financial health in the three months leading up to the Brexit vote, with levels of “financial distress” falling 4% across UK-focused travel and leisure businesses. Julie Palmer, Partner at Begbies Traynor, says: “Since the Brexit vote, while most sectors of the economy have started to batten down the hatches to wait for the Brexit storm to blow over, in contrast the UK’s domestic travel and tourism industry is expected to be one of the first sectors of the economy to see tangible financial benefits from the Referendum result. “The significantly weaker pound has already made travel to Europe for British families £245 more expensive on average, which should encourage more to favour staycations on home soil. Meanwhile currency fluctuations have also made travel to the UK from Europe and the US in particular more affordable, helping incoming tourists to get a lot more bang for their buck.”