A survey by consumer choice website Which? saw 3,967 members vote on the best and worst medium-sized towns and cities for a short break in the UK for 2024 with surprising results
A famous UK seaside resort has recently been ranked among the ‘worst’ places for a break – despite its popularity as a seaside destination.
A survey by consumer choice website Which? ranked Bournemouth as the worst medium-sized town or city for a short break in the UK for 2024. The survey saw 3,967 Which? Members voting on UK cities and towns they’d visited for a break since April 2022 where they had stayed for at least one night. Spots were given a rating out of five stars for accommodation, food and drink, cultural sights, shopping, ease of getting around, lack of crowds, parking and value for money and the rankings were split into large, medium and small cities/towns. Unfortunately Bournemouth did not receive a five star review in any category and found itself languishing at the bottom of the medium-sized cities and towns list, just behind Ipswich.
Which? said: “Two seaside towns – Bournemouth and Torquay sat at the bottom of our small and medium-sized cities tables, along with Fort William in Scotland. They were both described as ‘dirty’ and ‘rundown’. Visitors complained that Torquay was a ‘typical British seaside resort. . .shabby and unkempt in places, especially the High Street and harbour area.’
“Both got just two stars for food and drink, shopping, ease of getting around and value for money.” With a customer rating of just 58% you could be forgiven for assuming Bournemouth was a dump, with nothing to offer visitors. But another ranking, by Resonance Consultancy included the seaside town among the top 100 places in Europe for residents last month, the Daily Echo reports.
This ranking looked at Tripadvisor reviews, education and work opportunities and many other metrics to work out their rankings. Bournemouth came in at 77th place on the list, beating out the likes of Belfast, Bordeaux, Turin, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Montpellier and Bologna.
Resonance Consultancy sang Bournemouth’s praises, saying: “This coastal resort town is a pocket-sized shot of California two hours by train from London. A rare microclimate means more sunshine, warmer weather and (for the surfers and swimmers who play on its eponymous beach, often lauded as one of Europe’s best) warmer seas. The area’s golden beaches, it should be noted, are Blue Flag-certified.
“With its seafront promenade, Ferris wheel and piers, the city has embraced its unique beach-town vibe for decades, readily drawing families with one-of-a-kind, Instagrammable attractions—like the only pier-to-shore zipline on the planet.”
