Britons 'could take 5m more holidays at home'

Up to five million more British people could take ferry breaks and other holidays within the UK this year as a result of the weak value of the pound, according to VisitBritain.

Speaking at an annual stakeholder event in London, Christopher Rodrigues, the tourism agency's executive chairman, said the currency situation could also lead to more foreign tourists visiting the UK.

He pointed out that the British tourism industry supports some 2.7 million jobs and has a value of around £114 billion, a number that could grow further over the coming years.

"Despite current economic woes, tourism is one of the few industries that could show growth, with a real opportunity to grow to a £133 billion industry by 2018," Mr Rodrigues said.

"Our priority this year has to be working with the industry to encourage Britons to explore their own country and foreigners to visit us right now, when we offer great value."

In October last year, VisitBritain revealed the most popular tourist attractions in the UK, which included the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral and Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

People planning to take holidays in Britain this year can make use of cheap ferries to destinations including Belfast, Jersey, Stranraer and the Isle of Wight with Norfolkline, Condor Ferries, Stena Line, Wightlink and other operators.