The research, published today, also asked about the expected performance of those accommodation businesses surveyed from the end of the summer holidays until the end of October this year. It showed that 92% said they were confident about their business performance during the stated timeframe. Sixty-seven per cent also reported good or very good advance booking levels until the end of next month. Findings from the research showed that the increase in bookings during the summer holiday period came from both domestic and overseas visitors. 

Looking out to the rest of 2018, more than half of the accommodation providers surveyed, 52%, expected their performance to be better than in 2017.  

VisitEngland Director Patricia Yates said: 

“It is encouraging to see that accommodation providers and visitor attractions have experienced a strong summer with bookings up on last year and confidence sustained beyond the peak season. These results are testament to the quality and range of experiences on offer year-round across England.”

The survey also asked 250 visitor attractions in England about their performance during the summer which showed that more than half, 54%, said that visitor numbers were up compared to the previous year.

This evidence of a strong summer follows VisitEngland’s Trip-Tracker survey which showed that 7.3 million Brits were planning an overnight holiday in the UK during the August bank holiday week-end, bringing an estimated £1.75 billion boost to the economy.

From January to May this year Brits took 16.2 million holiday trips in England, on par with the previous record set in 2009.

Tourism is worth £127 billion annually to the UK economy.

Notes to editors:

• VisitEngland’s Tourism Business Performance and Confidence Monitor is a survey designed to measure, monitor and understand tourism business performance and confidence and the factors which influence them.
• The survey is carried out by research agency BDRC. In each wave, 300 accommodation providers and 250 attractions are interviewed by telephone across England.

View the survey here. 

• Latest domestic figures come from the Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) jointly sponsored by VisitEngland, VisitScotland and Visit Wales, and carried out by independent research agency TNS. The survey began in 2006.
• In 2017 Brits took 47.2 million domestic holidays in England (trips of at least one night), up 6% on 2016 and on par with the previous record set in 2009.
• Brits are taking nearly six million more short- breaks in England than they did a decade ago.