Celebrate British Beach Week
23 July 2011
British Beach Week, which runs from the 23rd to 31st July, is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the UK’s diverse and beautiful coastline.
Holiday letting agency cottages4you, commissioned a poll ahead of British Beach Week, to look at what we love about the seaside and how nostalgic we are about the traditional British holiday.
When asked to name a quintessentially British seaside attraction, the top five icons where: piers, amusement arcades, donkey rides, beach huts and theme parks.
Despite feeling nostalgic for traditional seaside resort, when it comes to choosing a holiday destination, it seems modern families prioritise sandy beaches (34 per cent) and beautiful views (32 per cent), with only three per cent choosing a location because it has a pier.
However, two thirds of those surveyed have made a nostalgic return to a seaside destination they used to visit as a child in the last five years. Almost half (46 per cent) said it was the same on revisiting, whilst a third were pleasantly surprised at the changes.
Nick Rudge at cottages4you said: “Going to the seaside in the UK has always had a unique appeal and with 80 per cent of our respondents planning a trip this year, British Beach Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate all the UK coastline has to offer. Whether you want the traditional resort with pier, donkey rides and candy floss, or a relaxing break in a remote bay, there is something for everyone.”
Having a family day out was rated as the primary reason for a domestic beach visit but 60 per cent said they would be put off by the weather and one in five of us are concerned about the cleanliness of the coast.
Richard McIlwain from Keep Britain Tidy, who run the Blue Flag and Quality Coast Award schemes in England, said: “With so many of us planning a holiday at home this summer, visitors to one of England’s award-winning beaches can be confident they are visiting a clean and safe, well-managed beach. Beaches that fly the Blue Flag or Quality Coast Award offer holiday-makers an assurance that the beach they are visiting is not only one of the best in the country, but the world.”
There are currently 147 award-winning beaches across England flying the Blue Flag and Quality Coast Award.