Easter tourist attractions see trade 'down by 25%'

The bad weather combined with an early Easter hit tourism attractions hard, the industry said

Tourist attractions in Devon were down on business by as much as 25% over Easter due to the early dates of the holiday and bad weather, the industry's association has said.

Josh Haywood, of the Devon Association of Tourist Attractions, said it had been "a recipe for a really poor Easter".

Tourism businesses in the Torbay area were down about 15% on visitor numbers and 10% on spend for the same reasons, the English Riviera BID (ERBID) company said.

The heads of both organisations said they hoped summer bookings would increase with improved weather.

Visitors 'left early'

Mr Haywood, who is also the general manager of Crealy Theme Park near Exeter, said: "There was a 20-25% deficit year-on-year and people weren't spending.

"I think it's always tricky when Easter is early and mixed with bad weather.

"It was a recipe for a really poor Easter and I think that's the feeling across the board."

He said fewer tourists visited because of the bad weather and some that did left the county early because of the wind and rain.

Staff at attractions were affected, he added.

He said: "It's a real tough environment to work in when you're trying to sell fun, when the rain's coming in sideways."

"The numbers ended up being really good," the managing director of Dartmouth Steam Railway said

Carolyn Custerton, the chief executive of ERBID, said the weather and the cost of living made their mark.

She said: "It's been wet since October, let's all be honest.

"March saw double the rainfall that it had in any records previously and, as well, we are seeing the cost of living still having an impact on families in particular and spend."

However, John Jones, managing director of the Dartmouth Steam Railway, said that business had been good for the attraction as it was not as weather-dependant as others.

"In the run-up to Easter, the weather was appalling but the numbers ended up being really good."