Meet a Summer 2009 UK ‘staycationer’

Introducing Virtual Viv

This is the first post of a new weekly blog.  Here you’ ll find new angles and original thought on UK tourism and marketing in the visitor economy; and  opportunities to benefit from my personal experiences. If you like what you read,  sign up for automatic RSS alerts, and then you can be among the first to read my latest post.

In introducing myself. I’d like you to think of me as a guide. Someone you’d be happy to have as a commentator, if, like me,  you’re fascinated by what’s happening right now in UK tourism, and most especially if you want to make a success of marketing a business or destination that serves the UK visitor economy, perhaps with London 2012 in mind. I’ve no particular axe to grind, so I can offer you a completely  independent view of things.

This year, for the first time in many years, I didn’t go abroad in the summer holidays. I was among many Britons to spend a ‘staycation’ in the UK.  In peak season I went to Stratford Upon Avon, Bath and the West Country.   I visited the cities of Leeds, Durham and Newcastle. I spent time on the Jurassic Coast of  Dorset. where the sailing is going to be taking place in 2012. And yes, it did rain, quite a lot sometimes; but I still enjoyed myself.

Why I became a staycationer

Well firstly the Met. Office forecast a ‘barbecue summer’ (which didn’t really happen  in the West Country in July); secondly it seemed like a good idea to check out potential universities in the region, with a family member’s UCAS application in mind; and thirdly it was ages since our family had spent a summer holiday in the UK, and we thought it might prove to be a less expensive option, (although we ended up pushing the boat out in some rather nice hotels).

2009 staycation trends

It seems like I was not alone, with the Office of National Statistics recently reporting a 17% drop in the number of Britons travelling abroad this year, the lowest number for seven years. In spite of this, we’ve still got some way to go, since we’re still spending more  (£20 billion a year at the last count) on holidays abroad than those taken at home.

If you’re involved in tourism, and you went on a ‘staycation’ in the UK this summer, why not tell me about what you enjoyed. I’d like to get a dialogue going, to make the whole thing more interesting for us all.

Recommended Staycation reading:

‘Adventures on the High Teas’ by Stuart Maconie, who goes in search of Middle England.

Until next week…