Blackpool lures football fans

Blackpool is bracing itself for an influx of football fans this autumn following the promotion of the seaside town’s football team to the Premiership.

According to travelsupermarket.com, hotel searches for Blackpool have shot up 164 percent in the past four months, pushing it up from seventh to fourth place in its table of most popular cities.

"As the town gets set to welcome a new crowd of visitors with the first home matches of the football season, it seems both home and visiting fans are making the most of a trip to the lively North West resort," said travelsupermarket.com’s Bob Atkinson.

The website said northern seaside resorts overall have been more popular this year than in 2009.

Research by Mintel confirmed that the British seaside holiday is enjoying a ‘mini revival’, with the market expanding about five percent last year, but it said the market was expected to shrink as the country emerged from the recession.

It said: "Assuming that the UK continues on its path of slow recovery from the recession, it is likely that consumers will return to taking holidays overseas."

By Linsey McNeill