See Somerset lit up

THE Guy Fawkes fireworks #carnivals in November are among the highlights of the year in Somerset, when brilliantly lit and decorated floats – or carts, as they’re known locally – parade through the packed streets of some of the county’s main towns 

Medieval in origin, they were banned during the 19th century because of the bawdy and unruly behaviour they inspired.

Many visitors book an overnight stay, or catch several carnivals, making them the focus of a family-friendly autumn holiday.

The carnival towns in November are: Bridgwater, Burnham On Sea, Weston-Super-Mare, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells, Glastonbury and Wincanton which is tonight 16th October at 7.30pm

Whichever one you choose, check the route, arrive early as some roads may be closed, dress warm, be prepared for big crowds and a show lasting several hours, and bring plenty of loose change … it’s a free show, and there are collections for charities.

www.somersetcarnivals.co.uk 

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Picture Credit: Weston-super-Mare carnival 2011 Vagabonds CC Haunted Mansion by Geof Sheppard - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Banksy's Dismaland generates £20m in visitor revenue

AN ESTIMATED £20 million in extra revenue has been generated for Weston-Super-Mare and the surrounding area in Somerset in the five week run of Banksy's anti-capitalist show Dismaland has been open.

More than 150,000 people visited the anti-theme park theme park in a derelict seafront lido.

The temporary art show in Weston-super-Mare sold 4,000 tickets a day online, plus 500 more to people willing to queue for hours, often in the rain.

Dismaland described itself as offering "entry-level anarchism", and satirizes the tourism and theme park industries.

Visit Somerset says the town's tourism businesses have benefited by as much as £20 million, more than three times its original forecast. The biggest boost was for hotels and B&Bs, many of which would normally be half-full in September.

The local hoteliers association estimates an additional 50,000 nights were sold.





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Picture Credit: David Kernek

We’ve all been on a summer holiday!

HOTEL BOOKERS LateRooms.com has looked at how #Britain has holidayed at home and abroad this year – from city breaks to exploring some of the UK’s lesser-visited coastal and rural spots, as well as favourite European destinations. 

Brits are sticking to old habits when taking #UKcitybreaks. London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh sit pretty on top of a 10 strong list of destinations that has remained virtually static for the last five years.

Of these top ten most popular UK destinations this July and August, six are northern towns or cities, with summer events such as the Edinburgh Fringe and Manchester Pride being the big attractions.

Larger coastal resorts such as Blackpool, Brighton, and Bournemouth have continued to enjoy a rise in visitor numbers. Blackpool, in particular, has been part of a retro revival that has seen other traditional resorts including Southend-on-Sea, Margate, and Skegness also witness a boom in bookings.

Old favourite Weston-super-Mare has returned to rude health following the fire that wrecked the Grand Pier’s pavilion in 2008, jumping 13 places since 2011 to the UK’s 10th most popular overnight coastal resort. With visitors expected to have ploughed an extra £7 million into the local economy this past summer alone, hoteliers have seen booking numbers jump as many look to visit Banksy’s acclaimed Dismaland exhibition on the sea-front.

But for every classic comeback there has been an up-and-coming seaside resort making waves: amongst some of the coastal villages that boomed this summer were Burry Port in Carmarthenshire, Anstruther on Scotland’s Fife coast, Anglesey’s Treaddur Bay, and South Hayling in Hampshire. 

And away from the coast, a number of smaller towns and villages have seen spikes in booking as exploratory Brits opt for lesser-known destinations on an increasing basis.  Amongst them, Castle Cary in Somerset saw bookings up 126% this summer compared to last year. Cumbria’s Cartmel on the outskirts of the Lake District proved another popular bolt hole with visitors. Shipston-on-Stour, one of the Cotswolds’ lesser-known towns, saw bookings go up by 95% and Cheshire’s footballer-friendly Alderley Edge saw a 58% increase in bookings through the LateRooms.com site since last year.

Andrea Tarpey, spokesperson for LateRooms.com said: ‘What a summer it’s been … despite the indifferent weather people have been travelling the length and breadth of the UK to enjoy some of the gems we have on offer here.’

The most popular #Europeandestination this summer was Amsterdam, with Paris, Rome, and Barcelona proving favourites once again.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34876760@N08/3232896282">Piper</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/67196253@N00/128526737">Amsterdam</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license), David Kernick