UK Nanobreak trend gains popularity as searches for 1 night breaks grow by 46%

Kendal has been named as the UK’s fastest growing nanobreak destination, by leading hotel booking site Hotels.com. The Lake District town has seen a 650% rise in searches for one-night stays – or nanobreaks – so far this year compared to the same period last year.

Across the UK searches for nanobreaks were up by 46% in the first five months of this year – showing the nanobreak concept has become increasingly popular as the year has gone on.

Scarborough was the next fastest growing nanobreak destination with searches up 200%, followed by Torquay (136%), Bath (130%) and Brighton (106%).

Other destinations to make the UK nanobreak top ten were Edinburgh (up 70%), Bournemouth (up 57%), Newquay (up 50%), Llandudno (up 50%) and Blackpool (up 30%).

10 fastest-growing nanobreak holiday destinations in UK

Destination	Growth is searches for nanobreaks year-on-year
Kendal	650%
Scarborough	200%
Torquay	136%
Bath	130%
Brighton	106%
Edinburgh	70%
Bournemouth	57%
Newquay	50%
Llandudno	50%
Blackpool	30%

Alison Couper, Communications Director for Hotels.com, said: “It is interesting to see the growing popularity of nanobreaks in the UK. With a great summer forecast and hotel prices in the UK at a record low, now is the time to get out and enjoy what the UK has to offer.

“A break for your normal routine, however short, can bring enormous benefits. It is with this in mind that we’re launching a new competition to promote the nanobreak concept.

“Travellers can enter a short nanolog – or miniblog – of their break and be in with the chance of winning a longer break to Rio.”

Entries to the nanobreak competition can be submitted via Twitter, Flickr or YouTube and the top entry will win a 3-night stay in Rio de Janeiro and return flights with TAP Portugal. For more information go to http://www.hotels.co.uk/hotel-deals/nanobreak.

Photo Credit: foshie

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Leading holiday specialist encourages families to take kids out of school for cheaper travel.

Joanne Yellowlees-Bound, Chief Executive of Erna Low

Following on from our post last month about parents taking their children out of school in order to bag cheaper holidays, a leading ski-holiday specialist is now publicly encouraging families to avoid higher prices by travelling during term time.

Joanna Yellowlees-Bound, Chief Executive of Ski Specialists Erna Low, has been quoted on the Times website, advising families to beat expected price increases of “at least 20%” by travelling outside school holidays saying “Take your children out of school and travel in January,”

In reply to the comments made by Mrs Yellowlees-Bound, Ian Foster, of the National Association of Head Teachers said, “Travel broadens the mind, but that’s not true of ski holidays. Taking a week off school to head for the slopes shows complete disrespect for a child’s education.”

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43% of Brits stash teabags in their suitcase!

A survey by UK supermarket Asda has found that tea crazy Brits insist on packing their teabags before jetting off on a foreign holiday.

The results of the survey, released this week, show how almost half of all British holidaymakers cannot cope without their cuppa abroad.

East Anglia were revealed to be the biggest tea-aholics, with 60% packing teabags for overseas breaks and 43% taking biscuits as well!

The survey of 1,500 people also highlighted other popular items taken abroad by Brits including Marmite, tomato ketchup, pickle, coffee and mustard.

One peckish holidaymaker even admitted to cramming pork pies into his luggage!

Asda spokesman James Maxton said: “Although the days of British holidaymakers wearing socks with sandals and kiss-me-quick hats are long gone, our obsession with getting a decent cup of tea on foreign shores remains. Expensive coffee shops across the globe may be trying to breed a nation of coffee lovers, but we still see soaring tea sales in the summer.”

Photo Credit:  philcampbell

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Parents ignoring threat of fines by taking children out of school to bag cheaper holidays

According to a survey by travelsupermarket.com, many families would rather pay a fine for taking their children out of school in order to book cheaper holidays during term time.

26% of parents surveyed admitted that they had already taken their children on holidays during school time this year, with a further 31% admitting they would be organising family breaks during school time before the end of the year.

In 2004, fines were introduced for taking children out of school but these seem to have done little to dissuade parents from taking their children away during the term.

As money gets tighter and more and more companies offer larger discounts for travel during off peak periods parents find it hard to resist to opportunity to take a holiday without the expense of peak holiday season prices.

Many may argue however, that holidaying with children in term time is not wrong, as parents cannot always take time off from work during the school holidays.

A third of those surveyed actually believed that a family holiday is an education in itself!

Bob Atkinson, of travelsupermarket.com, said: “At the moment, every penny counts, and the potential savings families can make by nipping off on holiday a few days before the end of term is too much of a temptation for many parents. Families appear to be weighing up the pros and cons of receiving a potential fine against the potential savings.”

Photo Credit: whiskymac

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UK’s inbound tourism industry faces “very real challenge” as international travel suffers in face of Credit Crunch

Britain’s national tourism agency, VisitBritain, has warned that the UK’s inbound tourism industry is facing a “very real challenge” as international travel suffers from the impact of the global economic downturn.

The warning comes in response to new provisional figures from the International Passenger Survey, who monitor international tourism to the UK.

The figures show a 13% slump in visitor arrivals in the first quarter of the year with visits from 15 EU countries down by 7% in the first three months compared to the same period of 2008.

Arrivals from other regions have fared even worse in the face of the current economic downturn with visits from all around the world falling.

Travellers from North America were down 21%, non-EU countries in Europe were down 29% and visits from new member countries of the EUis were down 24% – that last figure is particularly important, as Britain has previously relied on growth from emerging markets in Eastern Europe to offset declines in other areas.

VisitBritain’s new chief executive Sandie Dawe said: “The figures illustrate the continuing challenges of maintaining Britain’s popularity as a destination in the face of the global economic downturn and increasing competition from rival destinations.

“Although these are traditionally lower months for inbound tourism, we know that a weak pound is not sufficient in itself to offset the full impact of the recession on international travel.

“We have already launched multi-million pound campaigns throughout Europe and the USA to encourage the world’s travellers to come to Britain right now to take advantage of our current affordability as a destination.

“We are encouraging consumers to explore more of Britain, taking advantage of special offers from hoteliers and carriers and supporting our wealth of attractions, accommodation and destinations. Visitors will enjoy the free museums and galleries that are one of Britain’s major appeals over rival destinations, as well as a summer season of superlative events, contemporary culture, inspiring landscapes and historic attractions.

“With industry partners eager to work with us and ready to match any public investment in marketing activity pound for pound, additional funding would enable us to spread that message even further and generate rapid returns.”

Commenting on the March 2009 ONS Overseas travel and tourism statistics, Tim Helliwell, Barclays Commercial Bank head of hotels, said: “Although today’s statistics show a year on year fall of seven per cent in tourist visits to the UK and trading conditions remain tough, the country’s hotel industry is far better prepared to ride out this recession compared to twenty years ago.

“Hotels are now better managed and their Hoteliers better trained to implement the strategic and cost cutting measures that will see their businesses survive the downturn.”

Whilst these figures may make depressing reading fro many hoteliers, domestic tourism is set to increase according to a recent study by tourism body VisitEngland.

It has been widely reported in recent months that the economic downturn has seen millions of Brits Shun Air Travel chosing instead to spend their holidays in the UK.

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Further slump in BAA passenger numbers blamed on snow and ‘the absence of Easter’

Following on from an article we published in March which highlighted air travel passenger numbers falling for first time in 17 years, BAA, the worlds leading airport company, has reported a further slump in passenger numbers at Gatwick and Stansted.

Passenger numbers at BAA airports have fallen 10% in the first three months of 2009, according to the company’s first quarter figures, with numbers at Gatwick and Stansted dropping by 14.6% compared with 2008. Heathrow has proved more resilient, with numbers down 6.4%.

BAA’s pre-tax losses increased from £55.6 million to £316.2 million, while revenues rose 15.5%.

Snow at Gatwick Airport, one of the things blamed for poor performance

Losses were partially blamed on the depreciation in value of Terminal 5 whilst poor performance was blamed on the recession, heavy snow in early February and the absence of Easter in the first three months this year.

The long-haul market, according to BAA, continues to perform better than the overall market, with traffic reported to be down 8% to 9.4 million passengers, but European passenger traffic declined 10.9% to 13 million.

Domestic traffic saw the biggest hit, with passenger numbers down 12.6% to 2.4 million.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews revealed that “[results were in line with expectations] in the most difficult economic circumstances”.

“The rest of the year will be difficult and will present more challenges, but our focus remains on raising service standards and maximising efficiency,” he added.

Photo credit: a shadow of my future self

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One in ten friendships ruined by going on holiday together

According to a recent poll, going on holiday with close companions may not be quite as good an idea as it first seems.

The poll, by online travel specialists EssentialTravel.co.uk, revealed that as many as a third of people who have taken trips with friends said that they would not choose to travel with them again

10% of those questioned were even more damning of their experience, saying that a friendship had ended for good as a direct result of a disastrous holiday – with 25% admitting that they felt differently about a friend after taking a trip away together.

One thousand people took part in the survey and almost all of those questioned had taken a holiday with friends at some time in the past.

The top 3 holiday fall outs where:

• Travelling companions spending too much time with a holiday romance – 28%
• Arguments about money and how to split bills – 24%
• Disagreements about what to actually do once on holiday  – 19%

Other gripes included friends ‘acting differently’ while away – including unusually outrageous or selfish behaviour – and travelling companions not been ‘hygienically compatible’.

Philip Jordan, Marketing Director at Essential Travel, said ‘Even the strongest friendships can be put to the test during a holiday,’ says . ‘Just because you enjoy the same bars, fashion and music, doesn’t mean you’ll have the same attitudes towards holiday activities, spending and chores.’

So, that shared week in the sun might seem like a great idea, but be warned, it could cause permanent damage to your friendship!

For more information check out Essential Travel’s top 10 tips on how to travel with friends

Photo Credit: Motographer

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HOTEL DEAL: Devere UK Hotel 24hr Sale – 1,000 rooms from only £10

Until 5pm GMT today, De Vere Venues are running a 24-hour sale with 1,000 bedrooms available from only £10 per room.

The offer applies to selected dates available from 1st June to 30th June 2009.

Book Now here: http://www.deverevenues.co.uk/offers/leisure-offers/summertime-10.html

Paris slashes prices as tourism industry faces “catastrophe”

A gloomy future for Paris tourism industry

Following on from the potentially devastating news for Spain, as thousands of holiday-makers are axing trips to the Costas, Times Online has reported this week on how the tourism industry in Paris is facing “catastrophe”.

According to the report by Chris Haslam, international arrivals are down by 8.1% on last year, hotel occupancies by more than 10%, and the queues for the Eiffel Tower – celebrating its 120th birthday this year – have rarely been shorter.

The article also quotes Bertrand Lecourt, president of the hotel association L’Hôtellerie Familiale,as saying that the city is facing “a catastrophe”.

The growing crisis has prompted hotels to slash prices by up to 70%, in an attempt to win back tourists to the world’s most visited city.

So if you fancy a trip to Paris, there’s never been a better time to grab a bargain.  Visit the official Paris tourist board’s website to check out some of the great deals at http://www.parisinfo.com.

Here’s an just a taster of some of the great hotel deals to be had:-
Hotel Ascot Opera Was £177 per night – Now just £68 Book Now
Le Marquis Was £291per night – Now just £144 Book Now

Photo Credit: stevenvanwel

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LONDON: New ‘Rock Star’ hotel opens today where ‘anything goes’

A new hotel, aimed at the ‘rock star’ market, opens today in London.

The Sanctum Soho Hotel is a new small 30 rooms chic hotel in the heart of Soho and provides private cinema, open air  jacuzzi bar the roof, restaurant, private bar and an “anything goes” attitude.

The hotel is rumoured to have cost, in the region of, £10M and is the second hotel of the Concept Venues Group created by the chef Garry Hollihead and  Embassy members club owner Mark Fuller.

“We’re here to look after the rockers,” said owner Mark Fuller, speaking to Sky News, “If they want their Jack Daniels in the bath, we’re here and we won’t question it, we’ll just get on with it. We’ll just ask, ‘How much Jack Daniels do you want in the bath?’”

Prices range from £175 per night for a ‘crash pad’, a small 13sqm room, to £3,500 for a garden suite.

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