11 January 2010
Eastbourne’s official tourism website VisitEastbourne.com enjoyed a record breaking year in 2009 attracting more than 6 million hits and doubling orders taken through its online shop.
The year of the staycation resulted in a top year for tourism in Eastbourne with a significant rise in domestic tourism reaping the benefits for the East Sussex resort. The number of hits on VisitEastbourne.com rose from 3.5 million in 2008 to over 6 million in 2009, an increase of 73%, while the website’s online booking system and E-shop also saw considerable increases.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Susan Morris said “What a fantastic year for Eastbourne! The latest statistics for our official tourism website are phenomenal and really support the theory of the staycation, with the trend for holidaying at home certainly paying off for Eastbourne.
“VisitEastbourne.com is a brilliant portal for any visitor coming to the resort and the work to improve the products available through our online shop, the addition of special offer campaigns allowing visitors to save money, and the building of new pages, has really helped us to achieve our best ever year.”
Offering online booking for more than 100 different accommodation providers in Eastbourne, ranging from England’s only 5-star coastal hotel to a Grade II listed guesthouse, the value of bookings made in 2009 is up by a third compared to 2008. The accommodation pages on VisitEastbourne.com also attracted nearly 1.5 million hits.
The summer saw the busiest months for bookings with August attracting a 58% increase and October a 78% increase on the same month in 2008. With the busiest months also hosting some of Eastbourne’s biggest events such as Airbourne, Speed Days and the Beer Festival, the number of bookings suggests that these are a significant lure for visitors.
2009 saw many new additions to VisitEastbourne.com, including the expansion of its online shop to include products from local artists and businesses in the town.
Local gallery Viewpoint, artists such as Margaret Turton, Clare Hackney and Mary Stubberfield, Airworks Paragliding Centre and the Culinary Arts Studio have all used the growing online shop to promote their products and experiences to visitors across the globe.
Also selling tickets for Bandstand concerts and the sell-out Eastbourne Beer Festival, E-shop has enjoyed its best year since its launch in 2007 seeing a 99% increase from 2008-2009 on the number of orders made online.
The website looks set to continue to grow in 2010 with the recent launch of an online booking system for conference delegates and the addition of new special offers to entice visitors to save money when it comes to booking a break this year.
For more information and to view the services available through Eastbourne’s official tourism website go to VisitEastbourne's website.
