In an article published by The Guardian this week Lisa Bachelor reports on how twice as many Britons are planning to spend their holidays in the UK this year  – with top UK destinations such as Bournemouth expected to boom.

The article is based on a report from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) which suggests that the Credit Crunch and poor exchange rates are encouraging people to take their 2009 holiday in the UK.

The report, which surveyed 3,000 British adults, showed that 60% were unwilling to give up holidays, but most admitted that they needed to cut costs and were planning a holiday of under £500, compared with 30% who cut back the previous year.

As a result seaside hotels, B&Bs self catering accommodation and coach & caravan companies are all expected to benefit, as British holiday makers plan holidays and short breaks in the UK.

Speaking to The Guardian, Geoff Cowley, managing director of the Holiday Cottage Group, was has already seen the highest number of internet bookings in one day this year, said: “Easter bookings for our cottages are up 30% on last year and half-term bookings are up 5%.”

The article also reports 2009 caravan breaks being up 40% on 2008 figures with  Caravan Club spokesman Nick Lomas saying “We confidently predict that this year will be the year that welcomes the return of the great British holiday,” said

Twice as many holidaymakers plan to prioritise cost over convenience when deciding how to travel to their holiday destination, according to the CPT report, meaning that UK coach operators are also gearing up for a boom year. For many operators this will go some way towards offsetting a loss of passengers travelling by coach to Europe as the high cost of the euro puts many people off.

Paul Johnson, operations director at West Midlands based company Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel, said he had been surprised by the “upbeat message” from passengers in the last month. “People are worried about their fuel bills and other costs but they are not prepared to give up their holiday,” he said. “We were expecting a real downturn in our bookings this year but since Christmas things have been much better than we expected.” The most popular destinations being booked for this summer were proving to be the traditional seaside resorts, such as Scarborough and Bournemouth, he added.

Further evidence, to support the forecasted boom, emerged yesterday with passengers cutting back on plane travel. Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted collectively saw a drop of 2.8% last year compared with 2007, with Stansted seeing the biggest fall, 6%.

An Abta spokesman said: “People are still booking holidays abroad but in the last few weeks our members have reported that holidaymakers are cutting back and opting for self-catering and all-inclusive holidays.”

This news follows previous predictions of a UK tourist boom made last year by Travelodge when they invested heavily in hotels located in Britains top Seaside Resorts.

Paul Harvey, Travelodge’s Property Director, was quoted then as saying: “As price and location continue to drive consumer behavior we are seeing customers shift to budget hotel accommodation. These new hotels, in some of the top UK tourist spots, will add nearly 700 new rooms to our portfolio – helping us to make hotels available to more people than ever before.

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