East Sussex not even in top 20 of '˜destination counties'

The UK's top hospitality destinations have been revealed '“ but East Sussex doesn't even feature in the top 20.
Seven Sisters country park SUS-170629-084049008Seven Sisters country park SUS-170629-084049008
Seven Sisters country park SUS-170629-084049008

Neighbouring West Sussex makes the grade, at number 7, on the list, which was compiled by the AA and Visit England with regions judged on B&Bs, hotels, caravan & campsites and restaurants.

East Sussex has plenty to offer tourists – not least Eastbourne, the town’s beautiful coastline and the rolling Downs. Other county attractions are the perennially popular Brighton, lively Hastings, picturesque Rye and the historic county town of Lewes.

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The AA list claims that Berkshire is the top county to stay in due to its exceptional restaurants and hotels – including Cliveden House and the Fat Dick in Bray – and attractions such as Legoland and Ascot.

The full top 10 is:

1 Berkshire 84%

2 Surrey: 73%, Staffordshire: 73%

3 Bedfordshire: 72%

4 Northamptonshire: 70%

5 Nottinghamshire 69%, Shropshire: 69%

6 Buckinghamshire 68%, Cheshire 68%

7 West Sussex 66%

8 County Durham:66%, North Yorkshire: 66%

9 Herefordshire 64%

10 Greater London 63%, Hertfordshire: 63%

Andrew Oxley, head of hotel & hospitality services at the AA, said, “We hope this data will be useful for consumers when planning a summer holiday or short break in England.

“If a county scores over 80 per cent is should be regarded as outstanding, over 70 per cent excellent and over 60 per cent very good.

“We hope this information will highlight some of the very best hospitality experiences that England has to offer.”

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Andrew Stokes, director at Visit England, added, “It’s exciting to combine the data from Visit England and the AA for the first time and to celebrate the destinations where we see accommodation achieving excellence in quality.

“We would like to encourage people to go and try a break somewhere they might not have considered before.”