MORE than half of all people living in the south west have never visited Bournemouth, according to research published today.

The survey, published by budget hotel brand Travelodge, reveals that more Brits have been to Barcelona than Bath.

And those from this region are among the worst offenders - more have been to Paris than Liverpool and Amsterdam than Nottingham.

Travelodge says the delights of the UK are more commonly enjoyed by foreigners than our own citizens.

Although culture is said to be a major factor travellers from the south west consider when deciding on a holiday, 87 per cent have never visited Liverpool, the European City of Culture for 2008.

Chairman of Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association, Debbie Utteridge, described the research as "a very generalised statement".

Debbie, proprietor of the Rosscourt Hotel in Boscombe, added: "A lot of people who come here live only a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bournemouth.

"They come from places like Cornwall and Torquay. Of course more people go abroad but Bournemouth has got busier in the summer months.

"We have a six-week period when demand for accommodation exceeds supply.

"The British take two or three short breaks a year. But I'd have no idea what other hotels have experienced.

"It's a very generalised statement to say more people go abroad. That'll always happen. But I don't think Bournemouth is expensive any more, because of the euro."

The survey revealed that people in the south west will jet off to Rome for its history or Benidorm for the beaches, but 69 per cent have never visited Oxford and 54 per cent have never been to Bournemouth.

Low cost airlines are believed to be a major contributing factor - 18 per cent of people living in the south west have visited Rome for a weekend but only 11 per cent have ever visited Newcastle.

Barry Cox, director of Euron Travel Ltd, Bournemouth, believes the recent trend for taking short breaks in foreign cities has hit UK tourism.

He said: "A lot of people now are going for long weekends abroad - going out on the Friday and coming back on the Sunday.

"People tend to want to go to Rome or Paris rather than two days in this country. It is becoming a very popular niche. Places like Prague are also proving attractive now. The French and Italian capitals have always been high on people's lists but eastern European countries are increasingly being considered."