Up until very recently, there was a growing sense in England that the traditional seaside holiday – characterized by bars of hard-rock candy, buckets and spades, and ice-cold dips – would be firmly left in the 20th century. 

But with expensive COVID-19 tests, vaccine certification, quarantines and the UK government's ever-changing traffic-light system making overseas trips less attractive, there's been a boom in domestic tourism.

This is turn has given a new lease of life to the UK's seaside resorts, revitalizing what had become some of the country's poorest areas.

READ MORE

Raducanu breaks U.S. Open records

Auto show focuses on electric future

Merkel confirms 'I am a feminist'

The northwest English town of Blackpool on the Irish Sea is a good example of the rise and fall of the quintessential British seaside holiday town. 

Famed for its sandy beaches, stunning illuminations and its 158-meter Eiffel-like tower, Blackpool became the country's top mass tourist destination as railways proliferated in Britain. 

In the 19th and 20th centuries, city dwellers would arrive in droves to escape the urban bustle and enjoy the local entertainment.

But from the 1960s onwards, affordable air travel and holidays started to draw more and more Britons overseas, cutting into Blackpool's once dominant tourism industry. 

By 2008, it offered 40 percent fewer bed spaces than in 1987, and Blackpool's reputation for leisure and pleasure would come to be replaced by one of abject poverty. A 2019 UK government study showed the town had eight of England's 10 most deprived neighborhoods.

And at the start of the pandemic, Blackpool's continued reliance on its dwindling tourism industry meant that lockdowns had a devastating affect on the town's economy and vulnerable social groups.

But now Blackpool and similar British seaside towns have seen soaring domestic visitor numbers, with many witnessing an extended tourist season.

READ MORE: Domestic tourism back on track in Hungary

Its annual Illuminations switch-on day earlier this month drew large numbers of tourists, with many continuing to throng its tower, piers, theme park, beach, amusement arcades and shops in preference to holidaying abroad.

Owen Wells, a 23-year-old welder, decided to go to Blackpool instead of the Spanish resort of Magaluf to celebrate his bachelor party.

"With COVID-19, it's been awkward – a lot of my friends haven't been vaccinated," he said. "It's where we can go where we don't have to isolate for two weeks."

Administrator Michelle Potter, 55, said she usually went to Spain, Turkey and Cyprus, but this year chose to take her nine-year-old daughter to Blackpool.

"I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of going abroad and having to stick to restrictions. The UK is just as good," she insisted.

Many locals are also celebrating the return of high tourist numbers, as surveys by Britain's tourism board continue to indicate that domestic holidaymakers have preferred traditional coastal towns this summer.

Blackpool restaurant owner Alex Lonorgan, 37, has enjoyed two busy summers in a row following the first lockdown in March 2020.

"It's been amazing that so many families have had something different by having a UK holiday – Blackpool is going to be back on everybody's map," he said.

READ MORE: Tourism brings old town back to life in north China

Another local worker, 18-year-old Alfie Hayden, was happy to see business returning after the donut shop where he worked had to close on multiple occasions. 

Despite trade not reaching pre-pandemic heights, he's still optimistic. 

"We were losing a lot of sales and it wasn't very good. It is what it is," he said. "This is the best place to come for a quick getaway and it's brought up our sales a lot."

Blackpool Council leader Lynn Williams said recent regeneration work was also aiming to bring in private investment to encourage return visits from UK tourists who would usually holiday abroad.

Blackpool "has changed from when people came as a child and how it's portrayed. But we won't change in that we are a welcoming seaside resort," she added.

However, mass vaccination programs are already helping to tame the pandemic across Europe and North America, facilitating international travel, meaning the British seaside's revival could be a flash in the pan.

But Williams thinks Blackpool's renaissance will be sustainable, as Britons rediscover attractions closer to home.

"The three piers and the tower – no one else has that," she said. "To see the tower lit up in all its glory is a lovely sight."

Lonorgan added: "A lot of people come religiously to Blackpool every year – that group has grown.

"That should have a knock-on effect. The positive side of a very difficult 18 months for Blackpool is that people have seen how good it is. Long may it continue."