With the peak holiday season fast approaching, a YouGov survey reveals that three-quarters of Brits plan to holiday in the UK this year. In light of this, the top 10 best seaside locations for an entertainment-filled staycation have been unveiled, with Tenby in Pembrokeshire taking the top spot.
The Pembrokeshire resort has topped the ‘Holiday Entertainment Index’, which profiles the best destinations to visit this summer. The index takes into account a variety of factors, including the number of activities available, cost of accommodation, average weather patterns, and more. Data was sourced from Tripadvisor, Google, and Kayak.
You can view the full research here: Holiday Entertainment Index.
Factors Considered in the Holiday Entertainment Index
The scoring for the index included:
- Number of pubs, restaurants, museums, parks, zoos, and aquariums
- Water and amusement parks, arcades
- Beach review scores
- Hotel prices
- Google searches
- Average temperature and rainfall
- Local train stations
Tenby scored 7.71 out of 10, boasting 6.4 pubs per 1,000 people, with 2.4 featuring live music, making it a vibrant spot for nightlife. The town also has 19.3 restaurants per 1,000 people, the second-highest on the list.
Top 10 UK Seaside Holiday Destinations
- Tenby, Pembrokeshire
- St Ives, Cornwall
- Lyme Regis, Dorset
- New Brighton, Wirral
- Swanage, Dorset
- Southwold, East Suffolk
- Whitby, Scarborough
- Hunstanton, West Norfolk
- Cromer, North Norfolk
- Filey, Scarborough
Insights from the Study
British seaside towns are famed for their amusement arcades and slot machines, offering a mix of traditional and modern games. Great Yarmouth leads with 16 arcades, followed by Bridlington and Blackpool with 14 each.
Blackpool, with over 81,000 Google searches in the last year, is the most popular seaside town online. Known for its rich history and iconic landmarks like Blackpool Tower, the Pleasure Beach, and the Illuminations, it remains a favourite.
For those who enjoy a pint at the local pub, Southwold stands out with the highest ratio of pubs per capita, offering 11.6 pubs per 1,000 people. Despite its small size, the town has a notable selection, including the Sole Bay Inn, the Lord Nelson, and the Harbour Inn.
Expert Commentary
Steve Madgwick, Editor-In-Chief at OLBG.com, summarised the findings of the Holiday Entertainment Index:
“The Great British Summer is finally here, and although the weather isn’t always destined to deliver the perfect UK getaway, many of the best seaside towns across our shores are packed with indoor and outdoor entertainment – from arcades to pubs, and more!
Using various data sources such as Tripadvisor and Google Maps, OLBG has created the ultimate ‘Holiday Entertainment Index’ to determine the best places for seaside fun in the UK – including the best amusement locations. Arcades are a staple of many of the best UK seaside towns – Blackpool, Southend-on-Sea, and Scarborough, to name a few. Our research found that these destinations rank among the top five arcade destinations in the UK, but Great Yarmouth and Bridlington surpass them with 16 and 14 recorded arcades, respectively.
Perhaps more understated is Hunstanton in West Norfolk, with 1.4 arcades per 1,000 people, the most of our destinations profiled. Hunstanton Pier is famous for its amusements, with traditional coin push, toy grabber, and fruit machines.
Every seaside town has its own charm to attract visitors from both the UK and worldwide, but if you’re looking for some fun on your adventurous trip, our final index scores have named Tenby the best UK seaside town for holiday entertainment. From the town’s highly-rated Castle Beach to a great selection of pubs and restaurants for the best nightlife experience, it’s hard to overlook marking a trip to Tenby in your future calendar!”
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