UK Tourists Stuck Abroad As A Result Of Volcano In Iceland

British airspace was officially shutdown on the 15th April 2010 as a result of a volcanic erruption spreading a ploom of ash across the UK. The Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland was the volcano that errupted and caused the issues as strong winds caused the ash to spread across the UK and Europe.

The volcanic ash has caused chaos for the British aviation industry with passenger, business and air freight flights being grounded. The result of this is that many UK citizens have been stranded in different parts of the world due to the number of cancelled flights. A lot of these people have had to extend their hotel stays while others have been forced to cancel their plans because they can’t get abroad so what does this meant for the UK tourism industry this year?

Other travel companies and services have benefitted with UK ferries and the Eurostar channel tunnel seeing large increases in the number of people booking with them as travellers desperately try to find a way home but these companies have seen similar problems. At the start of this year the Eurostar tunnel was forced into closure when a train broke down inside the tunnel. Consistant travel delays and problems like these can often result in a loss of consumer confidence for UK citzens looking to travel abroad.

While this could be a disaster for global travel companies it could still be a big boost for the British tourist industry. The weather forecast for this summer is set to be good and holiday cottages, B&Bs and hotels across the UK have reported increases in bookings. This could mean that 2010 will be another successful year for the Great British ‘staycation’ with many families opting to stay at home rather than travelling abroad.

Last year we saw a large number of UK residents choosing to stay in the UK with a dramatic rise in the number of people renting holiday cottages in Cornwall. This is likely to be a result of the combination of good weather, the price and the amount of things to do in this area. The likelihood is that some people will still travel abroad this year but a large majority of people with tight budgets will still be looking to stay in UK Holiday Cottages and other types of vacation property.