There’s no place like home for British holidaymakers

Tourism boom in 2013 likely to lead to another year of stay-cations.

Last year was the summer we’d all been waiting for and subsequently domestic tourism boomed.

And with early signs of warm weather on the way again, it looks like more UK residents are planning to holiday closer to home in 2014 too.

A number of travel agents have already reported an increase in bookings, citing good value, the promise of better weather and some exciting events in the national calendar as some of the reasons why.

Holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK’s leading vacation rentals website, has recorded a surge in domestic bookings, with six of its top 10 ranking destinations now in the UK.

The most searched for location in January and February 2014 was London, followed by Cornwall.

But alongside the more obvious holiday hotspots, some surprising destinations have grown in popularity namely Newcastle and South Tyneside. Figures from the local tourist board show that South Tyneside attracted more than 140,000 visitors in 2013.

Much of this success has been put down to some great events being hosted in the city, such as the Foghorn Requiem, a tribute to decommissioned foghorns across the UK, which saw foghorns being played on an armada of boats.

Yorkshire, having been named by Lonely Planet as a top 10 destination for 2014, also looks set to welcome an influx of visitors. This is mainly thanks to the Tour de France which will pass through the area.

Key events have a real bearing on visitor numbers to a region. The Commonwealth Games has caused a surge of interest in Scotland spreading as far as the Highlands and Outer Hebrides.

Wilderness Scotland say their new Road Cycling The Outer Hebrides Tour (£1,195 for six days) has done especially well.

Active holidays are also proving popular in North Wales dubbed the UK’s ‘heart of adventure’. River-rafting in Snowdonia and zooming along the northern hemisphere’s longest zip-wire are two of the activities attracting experience-seeking tourists.