ENGLAND - Confidence among companies providing accommodation rose in 2009, while visitor numbers varied according to type.
According to VisitEngland's Business Confidence Monitor, English tourism businesses started the year off optimistically, with 27 per cent of those surveyed reporting a better Christmas and New Year than the previous year. 42 per cent said their business levels were the same as the previous period, year-on-year.
Also, 44 per cent of businesses reported increased visitor numbers compared with 2008.
The report suggests that success varied according to type of accommodation. While 65 per cent of caravan and campsites reported increased visitor numbers in 2009, 47 per cent of self-catering accommodations reported more guests. Forty per cent of guesthouses and B&Bs had fewer guests this year.
Chief executive of VisitEngland, James Berresford, said: “We hope the results from a new regular study like this will help businesses to better understand the rapidly changing economic climate as it relates to tourism, and better prepare for those changes.”
