TOURISM bosses are hoping for a record-breaking summer and a possible £100 million boost, with the weak pound increasing foreign tourist and staycation figures.

Brighton and Hove stands to be one of the main beneficiaries of encouraging figures from the start of the year which show a significant increase in tourists flying in to the UK while a majority of Brits have indicated they will be holidaying at home this summer.

Tourism bosses are hopeful this year could see a new record for the most visitors to the city, beating the 11.43 million set in 2014.

But a warning note has been sounded by industry figures who say the success will depend on the Great British weather, the reliability of Southern Rail and whether tight family budgets can stretch to the city’s higher costs.

International Passenger Survey figures for April show inbound tourism visits were up 11 per cent on 2016 while spend was up 14 per cent. A 14 per cent spend increase would represent a £100 million bonus for the city economy.

Council officials said the rise was being driven by the drop in the pound and a 15 per cent fall in long-haul flight costs, with the biggest increases being from tourists living the farthest away from the UK.

The annual Travelodge survey also provides encouraging reading for the city, with 55 per cent of Brits indicating they will be having a staycation this summer with the weak pound adding to the cost of foreign holidays.

However, the survey also brings a note of caution with Brighton dropping off the top ten list of staycation venues.

Alan Robins, the council’s tourism committee chairman, said a tremendous amount of work went into making the city attractive for visitors.

He added: “All of these things, along with our reputation as a friendly, diverse, vibrant and welcoming city by the sea, help draw in more than ten million visitors from all over the world. This year, we look forward to welcoming even more.

“It certainly looks like we’re heading for a bumper summer season and that’s great news for the city.”

The council added anecdotally hoteliers are reporting excellent occupancy figures.

But Paul Wright, general manager of The Old Ship Hotel, said while inbound travel was improving, concerns over the economy might mean staycationers can only afford a day trip to the city rather than staying over.

Mr Wright said forward bookings and current data for May and the start of June did not show signs of a “bumper” start to the summer.

Nick Head, owner of the Ambassador Hotel in New Steine and the former head of Visit Sussex, said: “Talking to customers, people are extremely concerned about the price of holidaying in Brighton. People’s wages have not gone up and it’s a bit more expensive to come to Brighton.

“People are looking for self catering and all inclusive to keep costs down and except for the very top end, Brighton offers very little.

“The one saving grace is that we are seeing a lot more Americans. Almost 60 per cent of my bookings over Pride are from America, and I’ve not seen that in a decade.”