HOTELIERS, guest house and camp site owners are blaming the foreign-holiday buying power of the strong pound plus poor weather for a slump in Forest and Wye Valley holiday bookings and inquiries.

"It is not just a local problem. We haven't got the figures yet but bookings and inquiries have been dropping year on year for the Heart of England Region as a whole," said Forest of Dean tourism officer Rachel Lewis.

She said the Forest was trying hard to get the message across that it offered superb value for holidays but had to fight against foreign package deals at rock-bottom prices, the best foreign exchange rates for years and guaranteed sun tans.

"Certainly the weather has hit us a lot," she said. "It was quite promising earlier on with the hot spell in May-June."

Cool weather and rain since then have been putting people off but she said it was extremely hard to find a common factor.

Some concerns have been faring very well indeed, she said, the Gun Mill Guest House near Flaxley enjoying being fully booked.

The Church of England adventure centre for young people at Viney Hill has also seen a boom this year, with thousands of bookings this year compared to hundreds a few years ago. A major expansion is being planned here with the church investing heavily in the centre's future.

"We are making a big push in promotion through the summer and have programmes coming out on HTV featuring the Forest – we are in Awayday and Great Escapes. The BBC is also showing an interest in the Forest Food Fair in September," said Rachel.

She said she wished she could identify a clear trend – the weather certainly appeared to play a key role in the sort of holidays the area offered, and a heat wave or continued spell of sun could easily see figures improving.