Bank holiday sun boosts South West tourism

BBC

Tourism businesses in south-west England have said hot weather across the bank holiday weekend had "made all the difference" and given them a real boost going into the remainder of the half-term break.

Temperatures reached 31C (88F) in parts over the weekend, and, with a yellow heat health alert in place until Wednesday, many opted to head to the coast.

Lauren Pattison, from Looe Sea Safari, said the weather was a "big boost, that we looked forward to and needed" after a quiet Easter, while Looe Beach Hire owner Kevin Blewett said it was a "good start" to summer.

Data from the south-west England's tourism sector had reported a strong start to 2026 in April after reduced visitor numbers in 2025.

Ms Pattison said the sun "just brings everybody out".

She said: "We've been booked up most days. We've still got some space for the following couple of days this week, but, yeah, it's really been good for numbers."

Al Wallis, owner of the The Sandwich Bar in Looe, said the cost of living crisis had made it a challenging time but the influx of holidaymakers over the bank holiday "makes a big difference".

He said 2026 as a whole had been a "lot quieter".

He said: "We've noticed it going down incrementally every year, but, when the sun comes out, it's all OK again, so we just got to make our money in that time."

Good season 'needed'

Scott Davies, owner of Babbacombe Palms Guest House, in Torquay, Devon, said it had been a positive month and "everyone needs a good season this year".

"There are currently a lot of guest houses and hotels in Torquay that are up for sale because people just are not making ends meet."

"Everything's gone up. Utilities have gone up, food's gone up, so all our cost bases are really sort of rising."

Claire Flower, director of Beverley Holidays, said "times at the moment are really hard with the cost of living".

She said there have been trends of last-minute bookings and shorter stays but she believed it was still "looking really positive" and "the booking are coming in".

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