British airspace was officially shutdown on the 15th April 2010 as a result of a volcanic erruption spreading a ploom of ash across the UK. The volcanic ash was a result of the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano and the ash has spread across the UK and other parts of Europe.

The volcanic ash has caused chaos for the British aviation industry with passenger, business and air freight flights being grounded. The result of this is that many UK citizens have been stranded in different parts of the world due to the number of cancelled flights. Many of these people have had to stay put until the air space re opens but many have been trying to find their own way back home but what does this mean for the British tourist industry?

Other travel companies and services have benefitted with UK ferries and the Eurostar channel tunnel seeing large increases in the number of people booking with them as travellers desperately try to find a way home but these companies have seen similar problems. Earlier this year the Eurostar tunnel had to be closed due to a broken down train stuck on the tracks. All of these travel related issues could result in a lack of confidence among consumers when it comes to travelling outside of the UK.

While this could be a disaster for global travel companies it could still be a big boost for the British tourist industry. The weather forecast for this summer is set to be good and holiday cottages, B&Bs and hotels across the UK have reported increases in bookings. This could mean that 2010 will be another successful year for the Great British ‘staycation’ with many families opting to stay at home rather than travelling abroad.

Last year we saw a large number of UK residents choosing to stay in the UK with a dramatic rise in the number of people renting holiday cottages in Cornwall. This is likely to be a result of the combination of good weather, the price and the amount of things to do in this area. The likelihood is that some people will still travel abroad this year but a large majority of people with tight budgets will still be looking to stay in Holiday Cottages and other types of vacation property.