Bad news in todays Telegraph for PM Gordon Brown that despite last years push for British "Staycations" with promises of "Barbecue weather" all summer long, a total of 47 hotels stopped trading as Brits headed for self catering options instead..
They write that "According to the accountancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), 47 hotels in Britain ceased trading during the final three months of last year – 28 more than in the third quarter of 2009 and 18 more than in the same quarter of 2008..."
The substitution of hotel visits for 'staycations' and camping has taken its toll on hotels, particularly in the provinces," said David Chubb, a partner at PWC. "The advent of upmarket campsites and the squeeze on consumer spending have driven a cyclical and short-term shift to self-catering, camping and caravanning."
A survey carried out by PWC last year revealed a 12 per cent increase in the number of Britons forgoing an overseas holiday or a stay in a British hotel in favour of a break at a campsite or holiday park. This has been supported by research released this week by BDRC Continental, a market research agency specialising in tourism, which found that a quarter of those who intend to take a domestic break this year are likely to opt for self-catering accommodation, while a further 16 per cent are planning to take a camping or caravanning holiday.
Mr Chubb added that the hardest-hit hotels have been those not affiliated with a major brand. He said the number of insolvencies could continue to rise in 2010.
So even though many Government officials keep telling us that we are past the worst of the economic downturn (politic speak for crash) the tourism industry obviously still has a long way to go before there is signs of recovery..
Follow more on this story at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7101409/Hotels-go-bust-as-Britons-opt-to-self-cater.html
Barticus.
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