Many families in the UK have started to put together their plans for their family holiday this summer. 2009 saw the rise of the ‘staycation’ in the UK with many families choosing to go on more traditional holidays at home rather than abroad. Despite the down turn in the economy many UK seaside towns has seen an increase in tourism and revenues. Initially the great British ’staycation’ resulted in many people staying at home and travelling to local tourist attractions but soon people started looking for different types of affordable accommodation.

Short weekend breaks became very popular with people staying in hotels and serviced apartments. Many young couples and groups tended to take breaks in cities like Bristol so they could enjoy the nightlife, restaurants and shopping on offer. Plenty of places to stay in Bristol are available to meet the needs of these groups but many UK families want a more rural location for their holiday.

There were two family accommodation trends that became obvious in 2009 and this is mainly a case of budget. Those that had mobile homes or caravans decided to stay in campsites, which is particularly popular in the South of England. Renting holiday cottages was the trend that appeared among those that had a greater budget to spend on their holiday.

Counties in the south of England like Cornwall, Hampshire and Devon are among the more popular locations for people renting self catering holiday cottages. Each of these individual counties has something to offer. Hampshire has Portsmouth, Southampton and the New Forest. Devon has great beaches and moors while Cornwall is well known for being popular among surfers.

Many of the popular holiday cottage rental agents reported that last year cottages in Cornwall saw a dramatic increase in the number of rented properties. This is likely to be because places like Newquay receive regular young visitors each year after the end of GCSE and A level exams. This area of Cornwall has become well known for catering for young people looking to let off some steam after years of studying.

The other more popular destination was the New Forest. It is thought that cottages in the New Forest saw an increase in families visiting the area. The New Forest has a lot of natural beauty and a wide range of wildlife as well as lots of outdoor activities for the children to participate in. The location is also close enough to a number of interesting destinations that are easy to visit by car. A short car journey will allow you to visit the beaches of Bournemouth or the medieval city of Salisbury.

Looking at all the signs it would appear that UK tourism will have another successful year in 2010. The slow improvements in the economy mean that people still don’t have vast amounts of money to spend and with an increase in strikes amongst airline and railway workers many travellers feel uncertain about heading abroad. These are all strong signs of the continued success of the ‘staycation’ in the UK.