1.2 million more holidays taken in England as Brits take breaks closer to home

Occupancy rates increased again for London hotel in May on the back of the attractiveness of cheap Sterling and improved economic outlook. However regional hotels continued to struggle, according to monthly figures released today by PKF Hotel Consultancy Services.Occupancy across London’s hotels increased 1.3% year on year in May, from 81.0% last year to 82.1% this year. Room rate did not do so well, dropping 7.3% to £116.49, as hoteliers looked for ways to attract visitors. As a result, rooms yield fell by 6.4% from £101.77 last year to £95.59 this year.

Leading tourism bodies in the UK have called into question’s the Government’s support for the tourism sector, following a tightening of visa requirements and new air passenger duty regulations.VisitBritain has said the high cost of visas and the bureaucracy obtaining one is putting off people from visiting Britain. UKinbound has taken a similar stance, as well as calling for a delay in the new system for Air Passenger Duty, which comes into force later this year.

Corporate values of UK retailers are more focussed on environment, integrity andsocial responsibility than they are on quality, performance or competitiveness- indirect contrast to trends in Europe, the US and Asia.