In blistering Bali, beaches are deserted. Brits are in short supply along the Mediterranean coasts of Cyprus, Turkey and Morocco. International tourism has been terrorised. So now discerning Britons have found a new destination: Britain.
After years of decline the great British summer holiday is back and bookings are rocketing as hotels, rental cottages and B&Bs reach out to a public that demands quality. The British middle classes now proudly proclaim to their workmates that they are holidaying at home this year and the industry is set to benefit to the tune of more than £1 billion.
Top destinations are Cornwall, the Lake District and Scotland, with hotels already warning of a shortage of rooms in peak season.
Travel companies and letting agents are in no doubt that the boom is being fuelled by fears of terrorism - but dramatically improving standards of service and choice have also helped. Peter Jackson of Heart of the Lakes, which lets 280 self-catering properties, said bookings for the summer were more than 10 per cent up on last year, and 40 per cent up in the past fortnight.
Fears of terror attacks have been rekindled by bombings in Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Jackson said: 'The threat of terrorism is emerging as the most important factor. People are staying closer to home.'
It is a far cry from the summer of 2001 when foot and mouth devastated Lakes tourism and cut room occupancy rates to 45 per cent. This year hotels are expected to be more than 60 per cent full.
Accommodation will be even harder to come by in the South West. Cash is being ploughed into Cornwall as the county reaps the rewards of the Eden Project and budget air links to Newquay. Cornwall now has a diverse, year-round industry that attracts surfers, gastronomes, clubbers and storm watchers. It has even been dubbed Britain's Ibiza.
Established destinations such as the Headland Hotel in Newquay are poised for their best year ever, but the hotel's management insist this is not simply because of the terrorist threat. 'People want quality now,' said Headland owner Carolyn Armstrong, who has seen takings leap by 16 per cent. 'Fine food and accommodation has to be matched to a location which provides enough interest and excitement to keep people happy.'
Last year UK residents spent £13.25bn on holidays in England - an average of more than £200 per person - and the figures are set to leap: a recent Visit Britain survey showed that three in four Britons who spent last summer abroad were considering taking their main holiday in England this year.
During the Nineties there was a marked shift towards shorter breaks in the UK, but the jump in self-catering rentals suggests that many more are choosing to make the British break their main, two-week holiday. Typifying the new trend is Elaine Hindle, a 31-year-old office worker. 'I loved going to the States in the past but I'm worried about terrorism now and wouldn't even consider heading to north Africa or Asia.
'I'm thinking about either Bordeaux or Devon with a couple of friends, and we'll probably have a few days in the north of Scotland later in the summer,' she said.
While the number of visitors from the US has stalled, tourism boards are now benefiting from heavy advertising in the UK. 'You have to look to be a hero in your own backyard,' said John Lennon, an expert in tourism and marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University. 'Areas that have really focused on promoting their assets at home and tailoring them to people's requirements are doing very well. For instance, tight product marketing honed around landscape, activities and heritage has worked wonders in Scotland.'
In January, traditionally a poor month for tourism, more than a million holidaymakers made their way north of the border. That represented a rise of 8 per cent on last year, while tourism-related income was up by 20 per cent - a figure analysts predict will be put in the shade by summer returns.
The Scottish Borders Tourist Board has even opened an 'embassy' in Keswick to lure visitors to a region it claims offers an equally beautiful but less crowded alternative to the Lakes.
To the west, Scottish islands are proving increasingly popular. Famed for its stunning scenery, Skye is now also renowned for its fine food. Shirley and Eddie Spear run the acclaimed Three Chimneys restaurant, which also has rooms: while you might still be able to book for dinner, accommodation is booked up until October. 'We set very high targets for the months of March and April but we exceeded them,' said Shirley Spear. 'It takes five hours to drive here from Glasgow or Edinburgh but people will make the journey if they are getting something special at the end of it. And Skye is a very special place.'
Those who baulk at such a long trek are stopping at Arran, in the Firth of Clyde. In the Eighties its popularity waned as sun-worshippers flocked south. They are coming back now, though. And they are calling it Arrandalucia.
