Daily Express - 23.08.2019

8 Daily Express Friday, August 23, 2019

DX1ST

Staycation

Britons to

give economy

a £2bn bank

holiday boost

Quality

IT is great to see that record

numbers of us are planning to

stay in Britain this Bank

Holiday weekend.

The warm weather forecast

will provide the perfect

opportunity for visitors to get

out and about and enjoy our

outstanding destinations,

visitor attractions and events.

Our “trip tracker” survey for

this weekend showed 8.

million Britons were planning

an overnight holiday trip in the

UK, the highest since this

survey began in 2012, bringing

an estimated £2.1billion boost

to the economy.

The latest official domestic

tourism statistics also show

record numbers of Brits have

been taking holidays at home.

However, statistics show

that 16 to 34-year-olds have

the lowest growth for taking

holidays at home during the

past decade.

We are targeting this “lost

generation” to ignite the

passion for domestic travel

through a campaign called

“microgapping”,

inspiring them to

take a holiday at

home and build

a habit that will

last a lifetime.

COMMENT

PATRICIA YATES

Director VisitBritain

By Mark Cardwell

By Giles Sheldrick

Chief Reporter

Tragic Betty in hospital

Widow, 93, whose home was burgled

by fake police dies of broken heart

A 93-YEAR-OLD woman whose
house was burgled by three men
posing as police officers has died from
a broken heart.
The trio ransacked widow Betty
Munroe’s Northampton house late on
June 11 and stole her jewellery, includ-
ing a gold chain from her neck.
The formerly independent pensioner
suffered post-traumatic stress disorder,
plagued by nightmares, sickness
and shaking.
Mrs Munroe was later admitted to
hospital with heart trouble and was

eventually diagnosed with takotsubo

syndrome, also known as “broken

heart syndrome”. She died this week.

Her family said: “The violent actions

of these callous individuals robbed her

not only of precious possessions, but

of her sense of security and peace and

the will to go on.”

Det Insp Simon Barnes, of

Northampton CID, appealed for infor-

mation, adding: “This is one of the sad-

dest cases I have come across.”

English beauty...

sunflowers in

West Sussex

FREE-SPENDING Britons are set to

give the economy a £2.1billion boost

over the course of a record-breaking

weekend, new figures show.

Already 8.6million people have

booked bank holiday getaways here

in the UK – the highest number

since 2012 – as temperatures soar to

91F (33C).

Buoyed on by brilliant weather,

unrivalled attractions and poor for-

eign exchange rates, experts said

families now realised British holidays

offer the best value in the world.

The record number now opting to

holiday at home is significantly more

than the 7.3million who plumped for

a staycation last year and the 6.9mil-

lion who stayed put in 2017, accord-

ing to a survey by VisitBritain.

And they won’t be disappointed,

with this weekend due to top the lot.

Director Patricia Yates said: “It is

great to see more Brits are planning

a holiday at home this long weekend

and will be out enjoying the out-

standing destinations right on our

doorstep, boosting businesses and

local economies. From our stunning

countryside and coastal towns to our

vibrant cities, the UK is packed

full of experiences that you

can’t get anywhere else.

“We are hearing

from many destina-

tions and tourism

businesses that

they are experienc-

ing a strong sum-

mer with late

bookings also on

the rise this year.

“The certainty of

budgeting for a holiday

at home, the ease and

convenience and the quality

on offer are all contributing to

people choosing to take more

domestic trips, spreading the bene-

fits of tourism across the UK.”

The picture is much brighter than

the August Bank Holiday Trip-Tracker

survey suggests because a further

7.9million people are still undecided

about whether to take an overnight

trip over the long weekend.

Of those undecided 42 per cent

said they are waiting

to see what the

weather is like, mean-

ing a bonanza for millions

of pubs, restaurants, small busi-

ness and the Great British high street.

Dan Harris, of the Met Office, said:

“August has been mixed so far with

some rather unsettled spells for many.

However, that will change this week-

end as we’ll see high temperatures,

sunshine and light winds return.

“Tomorrow and Sunday there will

be plenty of sunshine. It will be

warmest in South-eastern parts

through a cam

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