Athlone is Ireland's top 'staycation' destination!

Athlone hotels experienced the biggest increase in the country in their business this summer, according to a survey by booking website lastminute.ie

The survey, which covered the end of June to mid-July period, indicated that the warm summer inspired Irish holidaymakers to spend more of their holiday budgets in Irish hotels, with those in Athlone topping the spend table.

The survey showed that, in Athlone, holidaymakers spent an incredible 238 per cent more this year on hotel breaks, when compared with the same period in 2012.

Hotel bookings were also up 150%, with the average length of stay up 60% .

The top 8 Irish destinations, in terms of rises in average spend on hotel bookings this year through lastminute.ie, were: Athlone (up 238%), Donegal (up 100%), Limerick (up 50%), Cork (up 40%), Galway (up 40%), Wexford (up 32%), Dublin (up 21%), Kilkenny (up 17%).

Mark Maddock, Managing Director of lastminute.com UK and Ireland said: “Our figures suggest that the Irish are investing more time and money in staycations than last year, whether through longer stays or spending more on their break, which bodes well for the Irish tourism sector this summer. With our site offering great value last minute deals, those who haven’t yet gone away can afford to be spontaneous, booking their hotel to coincide with the hot weather, as and when it appears.”