Week in Weston: The town's tourism trade is changing

Being by the sea, tourism has always been a vital industry for Weston-super-Mare, providing an income for many people who live in the town.

From ice cream sellers and B&Bs to restauranteurs and the iconic Weston donkeys, tourism underpins the area's economy.

But there are big changes happening with plans to make it compete with some of the UK's biggest resorts.

It's been this way for generations, with people flocking to Weston for a quintessentially British break. But behind that tradition - lies a modern ambition.

If this summer's anything to go by, it seems to be working. B&B owners are reporting that bookings are up on last year.

The challenges the town faces now in order to expand and grow its tourism industry is attracting people from further afield combining a tourist resort with more traditional values.

One of the biggest recent shifts in Weston is a focus on food. The town is home to two food festivals and there is an ever-growing list of restaurants. Local eateries have "upped their game" recently according to one owner who says competition has forced restauranteurs to raise the bar and Weston can now offer its visitors a mix of places to eat at.

From new places to eat and big leisure developments, regular holidaymakers are certainly seeing changes here. But there's no doubt that despite an increasing list of things to do - what they still want the most is for the sun to shine.

Watch Somerset Correspondent Ben McGrail's full report here: