BEACH-goers may be jostling for space along Bournemouth’s sandy shores this summer, as the met office promises a scorcher.

After two washout summers, the hot weather is predicted to return this year, and Bournemouth’s tourism industry should be booming.

Warm and sunny summers attract around 5.2 million visitors to the seafront and, as well as buckets and spades, tourists will bring a healthy bit of revenue to the town.

In a good year Bournemouth can expect approximately £440 million from holidaymakers and day-trippers and with the recession deterring Britons from holidaying abroad this year, it could be a vintage summer for tourism in Bournemouth.

Parkdean Holidays have already reported a five per cent rise in bookings at parks in Dorset, which bodes well so early on in the year.

“Bookings are already ahead of 2008,” explains John Waterworth, chief executive of Parkdean Holidays. “Visitors to our website have risen by 35 per cent as more families book their summer holiday in the UK.”

As well as encouraging weather forecasts, the weak pound will also make Bournemouth a desirable destination for foreign holidaymakers and students.

Last year a record number of foreign language students visited Bournemouth, which boosted the local economy by £150 million – a figure that looks set to be even higher this year.

Bournemouth Tourism also hope this year’s air festival will attract even more visitors than last year, who brought £25 million to the town.

“This year our aims are to build the evening entertainment programme, boost the already brilliant day displays and cement our reputation as the leading free air event in the country,” he said.

Although Bournemouth has proven it can attract tourists whatever the weather, the local economy is still very much affected by wet summers.

Takings on the seafront were down 13 per cent during last year’s washout compared to the same period in a much sunnier 2006.

“The difference [in revenue] can be as much as a third between a sunny year and a year with changeable weather,” says Jo O’Connell of Bournemouth Tourism.