VisitEngland has revealed the number of overnight domestic holiday trips in England increased by four per cent year on year between January and August this year.

The national tourist board also announced domestic tourism spend grew by 12 per cent.

Over the three months from June to August, which includes the key school holiday period, a total of 17.8 million holiday trips were taken in England - up three per cent from 2010.

As witnessed throughout the year, tourism spend has grown much faster than trip volumes; however, VisitEngland advised that this in part reflects inflationary pressures, with many operators seeing profit margins squeezed by mounting operating costs.

VisitEngland’s chief executive James Berresford said: “It is heartening that the number of people choosing to take a holiday in England remains above pre-recession levels.

“It is vital that we continue to work very hard together to maintain this trend as we approach one of the most potentially exciting years for English tourism.”