Dorset's 'Jurassic Coast' sees tourism surge as Broadchurch fans flock to West Bay

With its panoramic cliff tops and picturesque scenery, the stunning vistas in ITV's Broadchurch are familiar viewing to the nine million armchair detectives who tuned into the gripping crime drama over the past eight weeks.

And after ITV confirmed the smash-hit 'whodunit' will return for a second series, it isn't just Broadchurch viewers who were delighted by the news.

Businesses in West Bay, Dorset - where most of the series was filmed - have seen tourists flock to the small coastal resort on the back of Broadchurch's success.

Tourist websites for Dorset and West Bay saw a massive spike in visitors after the first episode, and have remained popular for the entire eight-week run of the must-watch drama.

The 'Visit Dorset' website achieved a record breaking month in March, when more than 100,000 unique users clicked on to its website - triple the amount who visited the same time last year.

And during the first episode, the West Bay tourism website peaked at 200 views per minute as the beautiful resort on Dorset's 'Jurassic Coast' was thrust into the national spotlight.

Tourism officials are now delighted that West Bay - which suffered a slump in visitors in recent summers due to bad weather - has now been 'put on the map'.

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West Dorset District Council Leisure and Tourism Manager Nick Thornley said: 'The series has showcased the fabulous Jurassic Coast, and West Bay in particular, to millions of potential visitors and the district council's tourism team have been working hard to make the most of the benefits that a major TV series such as this can bring to the area.

'Broadchurch has firmly put West Dorset on the map and it’s just the boost that tourism businesses need at this time.'

Several businesses in West Bay have also seen an upturn in numbers thanks to the 'Broadchurch effect'.

Those who visit this stunning corner of the English coast can now pay £8 to take a 'walking tour' of Broadchurch hotspots, including the beach where Danny Latimer was found dead, and the newsagent owned by Jack Marshall.

Cast members including Pauline Quirk stayed in the Bridport Arms Hotel during filming, which is opposite the newsagent in the heart of the resort.

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The hotel now boasts of its Broadchurch connection on its website, and even has 'Spring Broadchurch offers' on rooms until the end of May.

Proprietor Jenny Connolly is delighted the show has been given a second series - as the hotel has already seen a 15 per cent year-on-year increase in bookings and interest.

She told Yahoo! today: 'It's been fantastic for the whole area.

'Everyone wants to have these types of things near to them, and it's a great programme with such good actors.

'There's definitely been an upturn in business in the area - long may to continue.'

Pauline Quirk, who plays creepy caravan owner Susan Wright in the series, said she has 'absolutely fallen in love with the place' while filming, while Olivia Coleman described West Bay as 'idyllic'.

Broadchurch's writer, Chris Chibnall, said he wanted to make the show 'a love letter to the scenery of the Jurassic Coast'.

Broadchurch's first episode achieved 9.1 million viewers, gaining 31% of the audience share - the highest weekday launch of a new drama since ITV's Whitechapel in January 2009.

The series, created by Torchwood writer Chris Chibnall, had bookmakers running odds on who they thought was responsible for Danny's death.

ITV's director of television Peter Fincham said: "We're delighted to be commissioning a second series of Broadchurch.

"From the moment the murder scene was discovered, viewers became gripped by the series, and we've been genuinely thrilled by the audience response.

There's no doubt the British viewing public have taken the real-life Broadchurch to its hearts - and after the success of the first series, its surroundings are set to become ever more familiar.