With wall-to-wall sunshine it was not surprising that Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area enjoyed a bumper Easter weekend with thousands of visitors enjoying the beaches and open spaces.

Various catering outlets from Southbourne to Sandbanks and beyond served around 60,000 customers with approximately 22,000 ice creams, 7,000 lollies, 10,000 hot beverages and 11,000 cold drinks.

Deckchairs were once again available to hire after pandemic restrictions and well over 1,000 were utilized alongside parasols, sun loungers and windbreaks. Bournemouth’s pier saw over 5,000 visitors take in the panoramic views while both the popular Hengistbury Head and Bournemouth Land Trains were packed. The cliff lifts also saw plenty of custom throughout the weekend.

Heritage and cultural destinations such as museums, castles, country parks and galleries offered alternative experiences beyond the beach, all enhanced by the brilliant Easter weather. The towns’ widely dispersed and unique street art provided numerous photographic opportunities while a huge variety of water sports were enjoyed in the sea and on the area’s quays and harbours.

Across the area’s parks a whole host of activities took place including scavenger hunts, hedgehog highways and bee bomb making while hikers, runners, cyclists, and ramblers all enjoyed the region’s areas of natural beauty.

Cllr Mohan Iyengar, portfolio holder for Tourism and Active Health said: “We are delighted to have welcomed so many visitors to our beautiful region this Easter and are really looking forward to a great summer ahead. A massive thank you to all the BCP Council teams and partner organisations in emergency and other services. They worked tirelessly across the seafront, parks, heritage sites and open spaces through the long weekend.”