Everyone likes their summer holidays to come cheap and this year, for the Europeans at least, that means holidaying in Britain finally makes sense. According to the Daily Mail, the fact that the pound has lost 20% of its value against the euro over the last year has “triggered a surge in the number of Germans and other European nationalities taking a holiday in Britain”.
So much so that Lastminute.com is reporting a 20% jump in UK bookings for July, August and September, with Edinburgh, the UK’s “capital of comedy”, proving a firm favourite with the Germans. The Italians (bookings up 11%) prefer “sexy, suave” London and Dublin, and the French (up 11%) are keen too.
So some of our hot spots might find they have a crowded summer ahead. Stung by the dismal state of the economy and the falling pound, the British are staying home too: UK domestic holidays bookings on lastminute.com are also up by 14%. That might not quite make Newquay the new Costa del Sol, but with a bit of luck it will mean that at least one British industry, tourism, stays afloat this decade.