Are your clients looking for a unique getaway in the UK, or maybe just bragging rights? TripAdvisor has revealed its list of the Top 10 fastest growing, up-and-coming hot spots in the UK, based on TripAdvisor.co.uk site data monitoring traffic uplift over the past year.
The new 2011 weekend break destination is Lacock in Wiltshire. This rural village may not be as well-known as its Cotswold neighbors, but this all looks set to change: Interest in Lacock on TripAdvisor UK has increased more than any other European destination over the past 12 months.
Lacock's abbey has been a local point of interest for centuries, but the use of the village as a film set over the last few years may partly explain its significant soar in popularity. Period dramas like Pride and Prejudice, Moll Flanders and Emma have taken advantage of Lacock's setting, and even some scenes from the Harry Potter films have been shot there.
Second on the TripAdvisor emerging destination list is the seaside resort of Portreath in Cornwall. Portreath is becoming increasingly popular with surfers (see above), who turn up at high tide on big swells to tackle the harbor wall, or the 'Vortex' as it is known locally.
Perhaps a surprise entry at number three in TripAdvisor's emerging destination list is the South Lanarkshire town of East Kilbride. This large suburban town was designated Scotland's first 'new town' in 1947. East Kilbride's town center has the largest indoor shopping area in Scotland and one of the largest in Europe. It has also begun a major 10-year redevelopment program which will see the creation of a landmark arts and culture complex with a theatre, a 500-seat conference center, a museum and a new town square.
Top 10 European Emerging Hotspots (based on UK site data):
1. Lacock, Wiltshire
2. Portreath, Cornwall
3. East Kilbride, Scotland
4. Tarporley, Cheshire
5. Colchester, Essex
6. Ripon, North Yorkshire
7. Lancaster, Lancashire
8. Limerick, Ireland
9. Doncaster, South Yorkshire
10. Dawlish, Devon
