We still like to be beside the seaside

 Traditional British seaside holidays continue to have an enduring appeal, new research shows.

Eight of the top 20 most popular domestic holiday destinations are beach-based, according to an analysis of research by national tourism agency VisitBritain.

The Isle of Wight, Skegness, Bournemouth, Great Yarmouth and Torquay are all seaside destinations making it into the league table of domestic destinations.

Meanwhile, the growth in no-frills airlines and increasing access from around the world to Britain’s regional cities and towns is helping fuel a boom in the popularity of city breaks for international visitors.

Liverpool has leapt up the table of Britain’s top towns last year, more than doubling (+ 131%) visits in the last five years. The city has seen inbound visits rise by 248,000 from 190,000 in 2002, since its position as capital of culture 2008 was announced.

While there has been no change in the top five most popular cities in the list – London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow – since 2000, all have seen visits increase.

London surpassed its previous record in 2000 (13,150,000), reaching 13,893,000. Visits to Edinburgh rose by 25% to 1,134,000; Manchester by 47% to 824,000; Birmingham by 40% and Glasgow by 59%. Newcastle and Nottingham have also seen visits increase significantly.

VisitBritain chief executive Tom Wright said: “City breaks have become one of the most popular options for British and international travellers, but the research shows some very different trends.

“Our international visitors’ choice of destination is heavily influenced by the increasing numbers of flights now arriving into our capitals and regional cities. For Britons, while city destinations are increasingly popular, it’s obvious that we still have an abiding affection for the traditional seaside holiday.”

Holiday visits by domestic residents around the UK:

        Holiday Visits (millions)     

London   4.88  

Blackpool       1.63  

Edinburgh       1.37  

Manchester      1.29  

Scarborough     1.22  

Glasgow 1.09  

York    1.06  

Isle of Wight   0.99  

Skegness        0.96  

Birmingham      0.95  

Bournemouth     0.86  

Bristol 0.79  

Liverpool       0.734 

Great Yarmouth  0.727 

Cardiff 0.726 

Newcastle-upon-Tyne     0.70  

Leeds   0.66  

Brighton and Hove       0.65  

Torquay 0.59  

Nottingham      0.57  

All visits by international residents to the UK:

        2005 (000)      2004 (000)      % +/-   2000 (000)      % +/- 

London  13,893  13,390  + 4     13,150  + 6   

Edinburgh       1,134   940     + 21    910     + 25  

Manchester      824     770     + 7     560     + 47  

Birmingham      728     730     – 0.3   520     + 40  

Glasgow 684     540     + 27    430     + 59  

Liverpool       438     210     + 109   190     + 131 

Oxford  437     400     + 9     410     + 7   

Cambridge       416     340     + 22    370     + 12  

Bristol 398     350     + 14    360     + 11  

Brighton/Hove   332     270     + 23    260     + 28  

Nottingham      282     230     + 23    190     + 48  

Cardiff 282     310     – 9     240     + 18  

Bath    269     250     + 8     300     – 10  

Newcastle-upon-Tyne     266     260     + 2     180     + 48  

York    246     290     – 15    310     – 21  

Inverness       227     220     + 3     220     + 3   

Leeds   202     190     + 6     n/a     NEW   

Reading 191     160     + 19    170     + 12  

Coventry        164     180     – 9     170     – 4   

Luton   148     n/a     NEW     n/a     NEW   

Report by Phil Davies