Some holiday venues in Yorkshire have reported a surge in demand for Easter bookings, as tourists cancel trips to the Middle East due to the ongoing war between the US and Iran.

The Traddock hotel near Settle said it had seen a spike in interest from holidaymakers in recent weeks, with the owner of self-catering cottages in Leyburn also experiencing a bookings boost.

Welcome to Yorkshire said any increase in holiday bookings would also be a benefit to other businesses in the region.

Linda Scott from the organisation said: "With increased visitors obviously you see more table bookings, more travel spending, so it really is a good story for businesses in the Yorkshire region."

Paul Reynolds, manager at the Traddock Hotel in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, said: "We've had four or five bookings from people who have had their holidays cancelled.

"They were disappointed and made the decision to treat themselves in the UK.

"They've come and stayed for in some cases five nights and enjoyed what the Dales has to offer"

Diane Howarth, owner of Cottage in the Dales, said the rise in bookings was replicated in the self-catering sector.

Diane, who has operated holiday cottages near Leyburn for more than 20 years, said she had been surprised by a "flurry of inquiries and extra bookings" from guests who have cancelled foreign holidays.

"A staycation boom is very welcome, it helps fill the gaps that we have," she said.

"Especially since the cost of our heating oil has more than doubled in the last couple of weeks, which was a big shock."

Diane said the boom would help "the wider industry as well, and really help the UK economy".

Meanwhile, a survey published by tourism body Visit England on Friday, stated 12.5m people were planning an overnight holiday trip in the UK for the Easter weekend, compared to the figure of 10.6m holidaymakers staying in the UK at the same time last year.

Neil Swanson, managing director of TUI UK and Ireland, one of the UK's largest holiday companies recently said British travellers wanted "reassuring alternatives to avoid travel through the Middle East", with people switching to "familiar, easy-to-reach" destinations.

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More on this story

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Related internet links

• Welcome to Yorkshire

• Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

• Visit England