Winchester 'staycations' booming

Businesses in Winchester are said to be bustling with tourists as a result of the infamous British 'staycation'.

It has also been revealed that they are spending more than ever. According to figures released Winchester Business Improvement District (BID), each visitor spent £18.29 on average in 2008, but now that figure has risen to £28.91 this summer.

HampshireChronicle.co.uk, who reported on the survey, spoke to BID executive director Chris Turner about the findings.

"Winchester has always been a wonderful location for visits and holiday," he beamed. "Traditionally some four million visitors a year have come to the city and we are expecting this to continue to grow as more and more people stay in and around the city, visit our superb attractions, eat in our restaurants and spend time in our wide range of exciting shops."

BID found that out of 500 visitors, 40 per cent lived within the nearby vicinity, while over half (55 per cent) lived elsewhere in the UK. Visitors that lived elsewhere are thought to have contributed the most to Winchester, whether it be by purchasing car hire, or staying in the city's hotels.

Ashton Grey, owner of the Old Vine restaurant and hotel, on Great Minster Street, said that last minute and one night stays were on the rise in his establishment: "There's a lot of people who just seem to be doing this sort of last minute getaway, they're not committing to things until a lot later in the day," he said.

"Certainly in the last month people are literally turning up at the door saying 'have you got any accommodation?'"

The staycation phenomenon exploded in the UK back in 2008 as families began to curb their spending amidst a gloomy economic climate. Research by R3, the insolvency trade body, found that over half (59 per cent) of the British public intended to holiday in the UK this year, reported FreshBusinessThinking.com.