Latest figures from VisitEngland show a record-breaking first quarter for the amount spent on overnight domestic holiday trips in England. Visitors spent £1.8 billion from January to March, up 23% on the same period last year.
The number of domestic overnight holiday trips also set a new record for a first quarter with 7.3 milllion visits, up 10% compared to the same period in 2015.
VisitBritain/VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates said: “This is an incredibly positive start to the year as we continue our #OMGB ‘Home of Amazing Moments’ campaign in the build-up to summer, encouraging people to explore more of our regions and driving tourism, and its economic benefits, across the whole of England.”
VisitEngland launched its domestic marketing campaign for 2016 to get more Britons to take a short-break at home. The campaign inspires people to share images of their own amazing holiday moments in the UK using the hashtag #OMGB, some of which are shared across VisitEngland and VisitBritain’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook platforms.
Today’s best-ever first quarter figures come on the back of a strong 2015 for domestic holidays in England with trip volumes and spending both up by 7%.
Overall, last year domestic overnight tourism in England across all trip-purposes saw a record-breaking £19.6 billion spent and the highest number of trips since 2012.
Headline volume and spend (2014 vs 2015): Annual 2015 results
