A coastal tourism expert has warned that several of the UK’s most popular seaside destinations are set to be overwhelmed by visitors this Easter and has named quieter alternatives. Mark Hutchins, founder of Beach Stays, has said that the same handful of coastal hotspots attract the bulk of Easter visitors year after year, leaving quieter stretches of coastline almost entirely overlooked.

Easter sits firmly at one of the busiest points in the British holiday calendar for day trips and short coastal breaks. But picking a quieter alternative can “offer the same experience without the chaos,” according to Beach Stays. Mr Hutchins said the pattern is consistent and predictable.

He said: “Blackpool, Scarborough, Brighton: the same resorts take the hit every single year. Car parks fill before mid-morning, roads back up for miles, and what should be a relaxing break becomes an exercise in frustration.

“People gravitate to the names they know while genuinely beautiful alternatives sit half-empty just a short distance away,” he said. The scale of visitor pressure at these destinations is significant.

According to the National Coastal Tourism Academy, coastal tourism across Great Britain generates £17.1billion in tourism spend annually, with 27 million overnight visits and 217 million day visits recorded each year.

The Easter break ranks among the peak seasons for leisure travel to the coast. Transport for the North research found that around 85% of leisure journeys within the North are made by car, which goes a long way to explaining why popular coastal car parks are overwhelmed within hours of opening on Bank Holiday weekends.

These are the resorts most likely to be under significant pressure this Easter, each popular for good reason, but all prone to feeling very full indeed once the Bank Holiday weekend gets underway.

Blackpool in Lancashire is the busiest seaside resort in England by some distance, attracting 21.5 million visitors in 2023 – a 6% increase on the previous year, and supporting more than 23,000 tourism jobs. According to VisitBritain’s 2024 Domestic Tourism data, Blackpool and Scarborough consistently rank among the top five English towns specifically for holiday visits. The Pleasure Beach, the Golden Mile and the famous illuminations give visitors every reason to come, but on Easter weekend can get very busy.

“If you are driving to Blackpool on Easter Saturday, you are joining an enormous number of people with the exact same idea. The car parks fill before mid-morning and the experience suffers,” Mr Hutchins said.

Scarborough in North Yorkshire shares that top-five ranking with Blackpool, recording approximately 600,000 overnight stays annually. Its twin bays, clifftop castle and traditional seaside character make it enduringly popular, but that popularity comes at a price over Bank Holidays, when roads and car parks can be gridlocked well before mid-morning. Mr Hutchins noted that the congestion is not a new problem.

He said: “People have been making the same journey to the same places for decades. The infrastructure simply was not built for the volumes it now sees at Easter.”

Brighton and Hove in East Sussex was identified by VisitBritain as one of the top trending UK destinations for both 2024 and 2025, and is frequently cited as the UK’s favourite coastal city. Its combination of beach, independent shops and excellent rail connections from London means it draws visitors year-round, but Easter and summer weekends bring a particular intensity to the seafront and the Lanes that can make the town feel overwhelmed.

Mr Hutchins is not suggesting people avoid the coast at Easter. His advice is to be more deliberate about where you go and to book before the options run out. Each of the UK’s busiest resorts has a quieter, equally appealing neighbour within easy reach.

Instead of Blackpool, head to St Annes-on-Sea, eight miles south on the Fylde coast, or explore the quieter stretches of the Sefton coast and Wirral peninsula. “The coastline north of Crosby and parts of the Wirral still see manageable visitor numbers even at peak times,” said Mr Hutchins.

Instead of Scarborough, the Yorkshire coast between Staithes and Robin Hood’s Bay is arguably more dramatic and sees a fraction of the footfall. Mr Hutchins singles out Runswick Bay, Sandsend and Thornwick Bay as places where a quiet stretch of beach is still entirely possible at Easter.

Instead of Brighton, Eastbourne, Seaford and the Seven Sisters offer striking chalk cliff scenery and considerably quieter beaches within easy reach. Worthing, to the west, has an unhurried seaside charm that contrasts pleasantly with its more famous neighbour.

Mr Hutchins has also offered advice on securing seaside accommodation for an Easter break. Self-catering properties that sit slightly inland or in smaller coastal villages tend to be available when the headline resort destinations are fully booked, and they often deliver a more rewarding and more genuinely local stay.

“By the time most people think about Easter, the best cottages in St Ives or Whitby have gone. But a farmhouse a mile from the coast, or a cottage in a village without a beach car park, are often still available and are generally more enjoyable because they are quieter,” he said.

He also makes the case for timing. Getting to the coast before 9am, or arriving in the late afternoon once the day-trippers have turned for home, changes the experience considerably. “Early morning on a beach in April is genuinely special. The light is different, the crowds have not arrived, and you get the whole place to yourself. Most people do not bother because it takes planning.”

VisitBritain’s own research notes that visitors are frequently unaware of lesser-known sites with natural qualities comparable to those of the most famous destinations, and recommends greater promotion of alternatives to redistribute visitor pressure more evenly across the coastline. Mr Hutchins agreed that awareness is the central issue.

“The UK coastline is extraordinary in its variety,” he said. “The problem is that most people default to the same dozen place names, and those places bear the full weight of it every single Bank Holiday. There is a whole coastline out there. Book something a little different this Easter, and book it soon.”