New breed of tourists pick dark skies over a five-star stay

A comfortable bed and full-English breakfast are no longer enough to satisfy the new breed of tourists hitting the countryside.

Visitors want to be active - and accommodation providers are having to go the extra mile to woo them.

Bike garaging, stargazing equipment and even accommodation for family horses are just some of the additional extras businesses are now offering.

Research published by Visit England, the national tourist board, says that despite tighter budgets, consumers have a strong appetite for leisure experiences and a growing desire for different types of holidays.

Active tourism is growing; but so too is the desire for value. While tourism bodies are optimistic about the 2015 season, they have been running courses to help accommodation providers better understand visitor activities.

In Yorkshire, last year's Tour de France Grand Depart and this May's Tour de Yorkshire boosted cycling tourism. Accommodation providers found cyclists were bringing their bikes into en-suite bathrooms - often because the bicycles cost in excess of £10,000 and they were fearful of leaving them in outbuildings.

The solution, says Susie Brindley, Welcome to Yorkshire's training officer, was to provide external bike washing facilities and secure garages with individual cycle-locking stations.

Other tips for cycling-orientated accommodation include earlier, carbohydrate-loaded breakfasts and high-energy cereal bars at reception. The reward is repeat bookings. "It's a very loyal market with strong word-of-mouth recommendations," Ms Brindley says.

Hobbies are a big springboard for accommodation businesses, with featured additions ranging from cookery schools to craft rooms and, for fishermen, complementary packets of fishing flies. Animals are a strong pull too.

The tabular content relating to this article is not available to view. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience caused.

"I've never been so conscious of B&Bs and self-catering accommodation being so active in assisting their visitors to experience more when they are staying," says Lady Cobham, chairman of Visit England, which is now shifting its own focus towards developing themed-tourist experiences.

Innovation has had a dramatic affect on business growth. Tourism is now a £106bn annual business in England, employing 2.5m people.

Astrotourism has taken off since Northumberland National Park and the Kielder Water and Forest Park won gold tier International Dark Sky Park designation in 2013. Accommodation bookings have surged in the normally quiet October to April months and courses are being run to explain how providers can strengthen their astrotourism offerings.

"This winter we've had a lot of business because of stargazing," says Carol Armstrong, co-owner of the Redesdale Arms, a 17th century coaching inn in Otterburn, Northumberland.

Blackout blinds have been installed to cut light emissions to the car park where guests stargaze. The hotel's outlay on binoculars, star charts, external LED lights, magazine subscriptions and blinds has paid dividends, Mrs Armstrong says.

The Battlesteads at Wark hotel in Northumberland has even installed its own astronomical observatory.

At Blacksmiths Cottage in Alnham, owner Sue Hugenholtz offers the use of a laptop with Stellarium software to stargazers. She and other accommodation providers are now planning to attend an astronomy course so they can guide beginners. "A business should run 12 months of the year; we have that opportunity," she says.

© The Financial Times Limited 2015. All rights reserved.
FT and Financial Times are trademarks of the Financial Times Ltd.
Not to be redistributed, copied or modified in any way.
Euro2day.gr is solely responsible for providing this translation and the Financial Times Limited does not accept any liability for the accuracy or quality of the translation