Burnham-On-Sea’s Mayor has this week criticised a new “flawed” Which? Magazine survey which has named the town as one of the bottom five seaside resorts in the UK.
Which? has ranked dozens of seaside towns around the country, but it received feedback from only 34 people who had visited Burnham — a tiny proportion of the thousands who visit every year.
Burnham has been given a 51% customer score in the survey after being rated three out of five stars for its beach, two out of five stars for its seafront and pier, two stars for scenery, and three out of five stars for its ‘peace and quiet.’
While Which? has based its nationwide survey on feedback from over 4,000 people, the magazine confirmed to Burnham-On-Sea.com that only 34 people contributed to the survey on Burnham.
Burnham and Highbridge Mayor Cllr Mike Facey told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This flawed and irresponsible survey represents the opinions of just 34 people. Over the past year, Burnham town centre and seafront have welcomed thousands of visitors, many of whom choose to return year after year.”
The Mayor added: “Burnham is a traditional ‘bucket and spade’ seaside town that has one of the longest family friendly sand beaches in Europe. It offers water sports, shops, eateries and amusements, extensive sand dunes and important wildlife habitats. We have a varied events calendar and wonderful coastal walks.”
“After one of the most challenging couple of years on record, the Which? report promotes an inaccurate image of our coastline at a time when all coastal communities need all the support they can get.“
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Our survey reflects the views of more than 4,000 people who’ve discovered the joy of a UK seaside holiday.”
“Despite Burnham-On-Sea not scoring as highly as other destinations, it won praise from some holidaymakers, receiving three star scores for its beaches and the peace and quiet of the town.”
“To be included in the survey, UK seaside towns and villages must achieve a sample size of 30+. Burnham-On-Sea had a sample size of 34 this year.”
However, Ian Jefferies at Burnham’s tourist information centre added this week that the centre recently carried out a bigger survey of visitors over two weeks, attracting responses from 77 people.
He says: “Burnham received 100% positive feedback from visitors, who praised the friendliness of the town, great seafront, beach and walks. A further survey, which will again be more comprehensive than Which?, will also be carried out this summer. We want feedback and this will be passed on to local councils and organisations who can make changes if necessary in our town.”
