Enjoy England as a touist destination of Firsts in the World

England has a long history of innovation and over the years it has paved the way for the rest of the world in several industries. As well as being home to the world’s first motorcar and being the first ground of several of the world’s first sports, England has also led the way in tourism.

With the first ever English Tourism Week taking place this week (10th – 18th March), VisitEngland takes a look back at some of the country’s tourism contributions that have shaped how we holiday today.

First Afternoon Tea
The tradition of taking Afternoon Tea is said to have been started at Woburn Abbey by the wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford, Duchess Anna Maria, during the 1840s. The Duchess felt that taking tea and delicate sandwiches, cakes and biscuits bridged the long gap between luncheon and dinner. We couldn’t agree more. Today, afternoon tea is still our preferred way to break up the afternoon, meet friends, or celebrate – and it is still served in traditional form in the Duchess’ tea room at Woburn Abbey. £12.50 per person. www.woburn.co.uk/abbey

First Stamp
What goes around the world and stays in a corner? The answer… a postage stamp, and the first method of pre-paying to send mail in a convenient way was invented right here in England. The first stamp in the world was posted from Bath in May 1840. The Penny Black officially came into use on 6th May 1840 and was sold in 1990 for £55,000. To learn more about England’s postal history, visit Bath Postal Museum. Adults: £3.50, Child over 6: £1.50.
www.bathpostalmuseum.co.uk

First Pier
Ryde Pier on the Isle of Wight is thought to be the oldest pier in the world. Built in 1813 and opened in 1814, the pier certainly made the experience of coming ashore more pleasant than being carried on a porter’s back or walking half a mile through wet sand in your fineries. The pier has recently been renovated to preserve its Victorian heritage and today is home to the Wightlink catamaran service between Portsmouth Harbour and Ryde. Return crossing on the Catamaran from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde is £16.
www.wightlink.co.uk

First Flight
2010 marked the 1,000 year anniversary of the first flight, when Brother Eilmer, an 11th century Benedictine monk, attached wings to his arms and legs and attempted man’s first recorded flight. He jumped off Malmesbury Abbey tower in Wiltshire and managed a downward glide of some 200 metres. You could say this was the precursor to Hang Gliding. To learn more about aviation, visit the flight gallery at the Science Museum in London, which is brimming over with extraordinary exhibits reflecting both British and international achievements in aviation. Entry is free but charges apply for the IMAX cinema, flight simulators and some special exhibitions.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/galleries/flight.aspx

First Deckchairs
Englishman John Thomas Moore, the man who bought the deckchair to world, took out a patent for an adjustable folding chair made of wood and fabric in 1886. Mass production of the deckchair started in Macclesfield in Cheshire, before becoming part of the furniture on ocean liners travelling all over globe - including the doomed Titanic. They became - and still are - an essential part of British piers, beaches, promenades, cricket grounds and back gardens. Beer beach in Devon is a picturesque beach with striped deckchairs and charming beach huts. Head out mackerel fishing, or simply recline in a deck chair for the afternoon and watch the world go by…
www.visitdevon.co.uk/things-to-do/beer-beach-p640103

First Package Holiday
It was a 32-year old cabinet-maker named Thomas Cook who pioneered the very first package holiday back in 1841, when he organised a rail journey from Leicester to Loughborough to allow 500 people to attend a temperance meeting on July 5th that year. During the next three summers, Thomas arranged a succession of trips between Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and Birmingham on behalf of local temperance societies and Sunday schools. His first commercial venture took place in the summer of 1845, when he charged patrons to join an organised a trip to Liverpool. Today, Thomas Cook is the UK’s largest retailer of breaks on home turf, as well as being the official provider of short breaks to the London 2012 Olympic Games and providing more trips to UK sports events than anyone else.
www.thomascooklondon2012.com

First Hard Rock Café
You can go all around the world from Aruba to Sharm El Sheikh and find a Hard Rock Café. But if you want to find the original, head to Old Park Lake in London. In June 2011, the Café celebrated its 30th birthday; the brainchild of Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, the central London restaurant offered first-rate American food, a fascinating collection of memorabilia with live music. Still housing the first ever piece of memorabilia donated to Hard Rock Café, Eric Clapton’s Lead II Fender – originally donated to reserve a space at the busy bar – the London café today is as authentic and popular as ever.
www.hardrock.com

For events and offers taking place this week for English Tourism Week, visit www.enjoyengland.com/English-Tourism-Week

Langley Castle, Hexham, it's no ordinary hotel, no ordinary holiday

This unique castle, built in 1350, during the reign of Edward III, has retained its architectural integrity and is regarded as one of the very few medieval fortified Castle Hotels in England.

Set in its own tranquil woodland estates, the Castle's 7 feet thick walls provide a peaceful refuge in which to escape from today's hustle and bustle to a bygone age, making it the perfect destination for that special break.

All bedrooms are individual and unique with private facilities, many with four-poster beds and feature bathrooms.

Langley Castle provides the perfect romantic Wedding venue, with its beautiful and historic chapel high on the ramparts, with stunning views to the north of Hadrian’s Wall.

The Castle is the ideal venue for private functions, exclusive use, exceptional dining, or just a weekend getaway in gorgeous Northumberland. The Castle is the ideal centre from which to explore the north of England’s wild and beautiful countryside and history, or just shop in either Carlisle or Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Langley Castle is no ordinary Hotel... It is an experience and an inspiration!
www.langleycastle.com.

Langley Castle Hotel, Langley-on-Tyne, Hexham, Northumberland NE47 5LU

UK coach tours growing in popularity

Door2Tour.com, the website-based tour consolidator, has released new figures that show 'Staycations' are likely to be around for a long time to come as they report a sales increase of 65% in bookings for UK coach breaks.

This could be down to the surge in Internet searches for UK coach holidays and day trips proving that more customers are opting for staycations rather than European coach tours, as they are likely to get a much better deal and possibly avoid unnecessary travelling hassle.(EDITOR: Perhaps people are realising there's more than enough to see and enjoy within the UK, too?)

The popularity for UK coach breaks is significantly high for the first three months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010 with traditional seaside resorts such as the Isle of Wight and Torquay proving to be popular holiday destinations. The rise in interest for UK coach breaks could be down to some of the major Travel Companies introducing fuel surcharges on their overseas tours and this could be one of the reasons why Door2Tour.com has noticed a decline in interest for European and Worldwide breaks.

Compared to UK coach holidays achieving an increase in sales of 65% in the first 3 months of 2011, there was only an 8% rise in European breaks whilst holidays to worldwide destinations only received an increase in sales of 1%. The addition of fuel surcharges is quite possibly one of the main reasons why customers are opting for coach travel and for UK coach breaks compared to holidays overseas but other factors could be the current financial unrest in Euro-zone favourites such as Portugal, Greece and Ireland as well as the poor exchange rates for the Euro and Sterling.

Rachel Jones, Online PR & Marketing Co-ordinator, for Door2Tour.com said: "It certainly looks like staycations are here to stay if our recent sales figures are anything to go by. UK coach breaks remain popular with many of our customers booking holidays to traditional seaside resorts such as the Isle of Wight, Torquay, Newquay, Eastbourne and Scarborough as opposed to overseas."

It's not just coach holidays in England that have seen a rise in sales bookings, with event tour packages appearing to have helped boost visitor numbers to other areas of the UK. The Edinburgh Military Tattoo helped to increase interest in coach holidays in Scotland, represented by an increase in sales of 135% for the Military Event compared to the same period in 2010. Old favourites such as London city breaks and theatre breaks remain popular with a rise in sales of 77%. Other events such as the Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot, Wimbledon and the Royal Wedding mean that London will be attracting a vast number of visitors during 2011 - especially if the weather is good.

Rachel concluded: "Customers appear to be much more aware of potential risks when booking a holiday, and coach holidays minimise that risk. They will not be hit with any hidden extras such as airport taxes, car-parking fees etc as everything is included in one great-value price. Search trends for UK coach holidays on Google remain consistently high, which just goes to show that more and more customers are seeing coach holidays as a much more reliable way to travel."

About Door2Tour.com:
Door2Tour.com is a consolidation of national and regional tour operators creating a diverse choice of UK, European and worldwide touring holidays including coach holidays in Ireland, events packages, theatre breaks, cruises and holidays by air to many exciting destinations. All have live availability and offer the customer the opportunity to book online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.