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Provisional figures from Cumbria Tourism has revealed record occupancy figures for the county’s accommodation providers over the last three months.
Overall occupancy in Cumbria was the highest for a decade in June at 73.6%, despite severe flooding in December leading to a “collapse” in forward bookings across the region.
Self-catering performed particularly well with occupancy of 80.4% in July – the first time it has topped 80% since the survey began more than 10 years ago – and 87.1% in August, the highest occupancy during the month for eight years. Serviced accommodation occupancy was also slightly upon 2015 in July and August.
The statistics reflect the national trends for staycations, partly due to the fall in the exchange rate following the EU referendum.
Ian Stephens, managing director at Cumbria Tourism, said: “These are positive figures for the county’s £2.62bn tourism industry, with an increasing number of people deciding to stay in the UK for their summer holidays and making the Lake District, Cumbria, their destination of choice.
“The challenge now is to maintain this momentum for the traditionally quieter months of the year, which is why Cumbria Tourism is planning to collaborate with a range of different organisations and areas to launch a major winter marketing campaign to promote the Lake District, Cumbria, as an all-year-round visitor destination.”
