Heatwave boosts interest in UK seaside hotels
Trivago analysed hotel searches made between Monday 29 June and Wednesday 1 July and found that, compared to the same period the previous week, there was a sharp increase in the number of people looking to stay in the UK's seaside resorts with Bournemouth, Blackpool and Brighton the most popular.
Southend-on-Sea also experienced the greatest increase in travel interest, with hotel searches increasing by 64 per cent over a one week period. This was followed by Skegness (45 per cent), Weston-super-Mare (42 per cent), Bournemouth (35 per cent) and Tenby (30 per cent).
Only Plymouth (down 10 per cent) and Portsmouth (down 7 per cent) saw decreases during a period which included the hottest July day on record.
Room rates
While hotels in the majority of locations were united in seeing searches up, there remain large differences in room rates.
The South and South West are the most expensive coastal destinations with an overnight stay in St Ives in Cornwall costing an average of £160. Poole in Dorset (£140), Portsmouth (£127), Newquay (£117) and Brighton (£116) were also seen as some of the most expensive destinations.
The cheapest prices can be found in Blackpool (average of £60 per night during July 2015), followed by Skegness (£62), Scarborough (£79), Weston-super-Mare and Southend-on-Sea (both £82).
Denise Bartlett of Trivago said: “The early heatwave seems to have prompted optimism for a hot UK summer, with holidaymakers opting for a ‘staycation’ and searching for popular seaside resorts within the UK. From Whitby to Torquay, with hotel prices starting from just £60 a night, it is great to see holidaymakers making the most of the range of affordable staycation destinations.”
