Tourism is a multi-billion pound global industry, with millions of people across the globe heading off on holidays and taking part in leisure activities all the year round.

From city breaks and day excursions, beach holidays to outdoor activity trips, Britain has an expansive array of locations and attractions to offer everything a person is looking to experience from their holiday.

British Travel Week is promoting Great Britain as a fantastic visitor destination for any holidaymaker, through highlighting the physical attributes of England, Scotland and Wales, as well as the broad range and variety of activities and tourist sites that can keep visitors entertained in any situation, whatever their holidaying needs.

As well as information on destinations and locations for British holidays, advice on how to plan, book and prepare your holiday will be offered, including tips on travelling with children, and catering for contrasting requirements within a holiday group.

In recent times there have been a variety of factors that have begun to disrupt this increasing trend in international travel.

The recent financial downturn and the resulting economic uncertainty has put pressure on the job market and consumer spending, causing a significant drop in the number of people travelling abroad and the amount people spend on holidays and leisure activities.

 

Other factors have also come into effect as a result of the recession that have impacted on people’s leisure habits, many of which have made international travel less of an enticing or feasible prospect.

Rapidly rising oil prices and airport charges have caused an increase in airfares, which itself has caused a few travel companies and air carriers to go bust in the past couple of years. Political instability in some overseas destinations has also added an undesirable dimension to some holidays abroad, while climatological factors such as flooding and heavy snowfall have caused widespread disruption that has had a big impact on overseas travel.

For many the weak pound has also presented a key restriction in terms of travelling to Europe. These issues have left many unwilling to risk spending large sums of money on one big overseas trip during a narrow window of time for fear of spending their time stranded in an airport or stuck in a difficult location.

Despite these factors though, a recent survey revealed that 45 per cent of British residents consider a holiday to be the most important luxury in their lives, and so many have turned to domestic tourism as a more convenient alternative that avoids many of the potential pitfalls of overseas travel.

The ‘staycation’ has seen rapid growth in the past couple of years as holidaymakers turn to less distant locations to spend their time off.

Advanced tickets on selected train services and low-cost coach fares can provide cheap and economical travel, and the spread of hotels, B&Bs, hostels and campsites throughout the country provides a wide range of accommodation options to suit all budgets and needs.

Tourism is the 6th largest industry in Britain, and it contributes £76 billion to the economy every year, as well as employing 1.8 million people full-time.

The strong tourist appeal of Britain saw over 20 million international visitors in 2009.

British Travel Week runs from April 4th, head over the website for more information for more information.