The Great British Seaside Holiday Revival

The foreign travel market has notably suffered in recent years and with the recently announced plans to increase the price of package holidays by up to 10% in 2012 by First Choice and Thomson. Many families and couples are looking to stretch their budgets further, with some choosing UK destinations over holidays abroad.

Several British seaside resorts have been undergoing cultural regeneration, which means in 2012 and onwards there will be more variety in the type and quality of vacation the UK can offer. Last year, resorts such as St Ives, Newquay and Bournemouth were among the top UK beach resorts. The transformations of Blackpool, Margate and Folkestone will, however, offer a wider choice to the holidaymaker, as these towns strive to blend a traditional seaside holiday with contemporary art and culture.

In the northwest, Blackpool has had a huge injection of resources to improve its image and cultural attractions, combining traditional piers with modern design and landscaping. The promenade has undergone extensive modernisation with a permanent outdoor gallery entitled ‘The Great Promenade Show’ that features work from northwest artists set over 2 kilometres. There are also plans next year for a 20,000 capacity outdoor event space which will include a café, restaurant and art installations.

Blackpool Illuminations has for a long time attracted visitors and there are aims for an all-year round light and sound experience. As with other resorts undergoing regeneration, Blackpool will also introduce a ‘Cultural Quarter’. This will add a new vibrancy to the town as well as capitalising on the rich history Blackpool has in entertainment, fairgrounds and music-halls.
In the southeast it has been said that the Kent coastline is becoming a contemporary and stylish destination with the growth of facilities, such as galleries, designer and vintage shops, as well as fine restaurants and stylish B&Bs.

Over £35m has been secured to develop Margate in Kent, and improve its cultural facilities and public perception, which has renewed interest in the area. Margate retains its charm and the Old Town possesses a vast array of historical architecture in addition to a diverse collection of independent shops. The growth of Margate’s Cultural Quarter, home of the historic Theatre Royal, is composed of galleries, cafes and shops and is already a popular destination. The Turner Contemporary opened in April this year, named in celebration of the artist’s history with Margate, has been a great success, putting the spotlight on Margate with events and exhibitions.

Also experiencing transformation in Kent is Folkestone, with help from the ‘Creative Foundation’, a regeneration charity with the aim of encouraging creative enterprise to restore the town’s vitality. Its seafront is being redeveloped to make it more accessible and, like Margate, it retains a variety of historical architecture. The proposed Marine and Piers Quarters will bring new restaurants and shops to the town. Folkestone too will benefit from a Creative Quarter in the Old Town, which has already attracted several top restaurants such as Smokehouse and the glass restaurant, Rocksalt.

So in 2012 the traditional family seaside holiday will be updated with some seaside resorts undergoing major change that can only be good for the holidaymaker. With the resorts already seeing an increase in visitor numbers in recent years similar to Blackpool’s a Great British Seaside Holiday revival is underway.

Of course, 2012 also brings the Olympic Games to London and will, along with the Queen’s Jubilee, bring welcome tourism to the UK. David Cameron recently launched the ‘GREAT’ campaign, to maximise the opportunities from the spotlight on the UK during the 2012 Olympic Games. This campaign will promote the UK across the world. The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, Jeremy Hunt stated: “with the eyes of the world on Britain in 2012, we have a fantastic opportunity to showcase everything that the country has to offer”.

With the resorts already seeing an increase in visitor numbers in recent years similar to Blackpool’s a Great British Seaside Holiday revival is certainly under way. We at UKHolidayPlaces have seen a noticeable increase in bookings especially in the seaside caravan sector in the last couple of years and are already seeing healthy booking numbers for 2012.

http://www.ukholidayplaces.co.uk is a leading holiday accommodation advertisement company in the UK. The company aims to provide a wide choice of accommodation throughout the UK.

UKHolidayPlaces
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Blackpool
England

This release was published on openPR.