The latest results from the Great Britain Tourism Survey reveal a strong performance for domestic tourism in the first quarter of the year.

There were 19.7 million trips recorded in England between January and March this year, the highest number of trips recorded during the first quarter for seven years.

Expenditure also increased by 24 per cent in total to £3.5 billion compared to 2014.

These figures are a significant improvement on last year’s figures which dipped due to the severe weather conditions and flooding at the beginning of the year.

VisitEngland’s latest Tourism Business Monitor supports the findings of this month’s GBTS.

Nearly half of accommodation providers and 56 per cent of attractions have reported experiencing an increase in visitors for the year to May.

Looking ahead, over nine in ten of the businesses surveyed remain confident about the school summer holiday period.

This is particularly true among accommodation providers who’ve reported high numbers of advanced bookings.

The early months of the year were characterised by above average weather and a number of high profile anniversaries including the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.

VisitEngland is also capitalising on a fantastic summer of sport ahead with a new consumer campaign, #HomeofSport, with a search to find the country’s most popular sports destinations.

VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “These results are very encouraging as we approach the summer holiday season.

“The tourism industry’s confidence demonstrates the fantastic resilience of businesses who bounced-back after the severe weather conditions that impacted destinations at the beginning of last year.

“We know England has standout product and generates high levels of satisfaction for visitors and we will continue to work with the industry to ensure we remain globally competitive, a world-class destination that entices domestic and international visitors.

“We’re confident that the fantastic number of sporting, cultural and foodie events taking place across the country this summer will continue boosting the industry this year and are hopeful a for bumper summer for English tourism.”