The rise of ‘tacky’ tourism: 5 UK seaside towns on the comeback trail - and East Midlands is on the list
Seaside towns in the UK are experiencing a renaissance with regeneration projects and nostalgia-driven tourism.
Seaside towns were once the ‘It’ place to be, attracting large crowds in their heyday, as people flocked there for a fun, coastal retreat.
This past decade may have seen seaside towns’ reputation take a battering as many seaside spaces languished with under-funding and declining footfall.
However numerous seaside towns across the country are in line for a cash injection thanks to regeneration projects.
Cash boosts could not have come at a better time, as people explore alternative holidays with a view to saving money and swerving potentially more expensive travel abroad.
These cash injections coincide nicely with the public hankering for nostalgia and zeitgeist of products and travel from ‘back in the day’.
The hashtag ‘nostalgia’ has 24.8 million posts on Instagram alone, where people are posting about items including 90s paraphernalia, old worlde travel and more from bygone times.
Danny Dyer is a key driver of raising awareness of domestic travel. Metro reports him saying that he hopes his upcoming show The Dyers’ Caravan Park will ‘save the great British holiday’.
Time is a great healer, and things certainly come back in fashion, so why not seaside towns?
Metro named five seaside spots in their round-up of UK seaside towns on the comeback trail, and an East Midlands site is on the list.
‘Skeg-vegas’ in Lincolnshire, around 90 minutes away from Derby city centre, is listed as holding potential for being a great British seaside destination in the coming years.
The other four towns mentioned by Metro are Blackpool, Bognor Regis, Great Yarmouth and Weston-Super-Mare.
Skegness has received its fair share of negative reviews including a Which? poll which placed it bottom of British seaside spots. However, according to a new study, ‘Skeggy’ is one of the UK’s most popular rental locations.
East Lindsey District Council say Skegness is set for £20m funding over the next decade.
This investment is just the start of regeneration plans for the beleaguered town, which could pave the way for more inward investment.
In April this year, East Midlands Railway confirmed a multi million pound project following a £23 million revamp so passengers can travel to Skegness in comfort.
Other good news for Skegness includes hotel giant Travelodge opening in September on Skegness seafront.
Skegness’ entertainment arena is also looking healthy. Local institution Embassy Theatre which opened its doors in 1926 is set to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year following a glow-up.
As reported by Metro, Justin Tai, reflecting on the town’s positive outlook said: “I think [Skegness] is on the up because they’re doing work towards making things better. A lot of places struggled after Covid but there seems to be a positive attitude.
“I honestly think it’s a lovely seaside town. It’s got a very lovely sandy beach, there’s lots of stuff to do even if it’s raining, and there are lots of places to visit, like the nature reserve for walks.”