Pubs, bars and restaurants set for bumper Easter weekend as people choose to stay in UK

Bars and restaurants in Blackpool can expect to be 36 per cent busier than normal

Worldpay predicts that hospitality spend over the Easter weekend could be 15 per cent higher than the seasonal average (Getty)

Pubs, bars and restaurants across the country could rake in more than £280m over the Easter holiday, thanks to cash-conscious Brits, bruised by a slump in the pound, opting to stay in the UK.

A report by payments company Worldpay predicts that hospitality spend over the Easter weekend could be 15 per cent higher than the seasonal average.

Bars and restaurants in Blackpool can expect to be 36 per cent busier than normal over the four-day weekend, while in Cornwall takings across the hospitality sector could be up by as much as 39 per cent, according to Worldpay. It predicts that across Pembrokeshire, pubs and bars will be as much as 47 per cent busier than normal over Easter.

“The weakness of the pound against currencies like the euro could well present a silver lining for hospitality business owners this Easter,” said James Frost, UK chief marketing officer of Worldpay.

He said that it could spell a bumper weekend for small business owners in traditional UK tourist hotspots.

“Those that are well prepared for the influx will stand to benefit the most.”

Separate data this week revealed that the fall in the value of the pound combined with falling flight costs was also luring bargain-hunting overseas tourists to the UK for Easter.

According to data from eDreams ODIGEO, one of Europe’s largest ecommerce businesses and owner of online travel agency eDreams, international flight bookings to the UK have increased by 49 per cent for the Easter holiday period, which falls between 31 March and 14 April, compared to the same holiday period last year.

The latest tourism figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that spending by overseas tourists in the UK was 15 per cent higher in January than a year earlier and visits were up 9 per cent.