British holidaymakers, keen to avoid airline costs and rising fuel prices over the summer, saw rail operator Eurostar experience and unexpected surge in business.

Officials from the Channel Tunnel train organisation further increased passenger traffic with significantly discounted last minute offers, the most notable of which was the £59 return deal.

These factors combined to result in an 8% increase in journeys to the continent over recent months, despite the weakened pound making European vacations slightly more expensive

The company also revealed that between July and September this year Eurostar experienced an 11% growth in outbound travel, outweighing inbound passenger traffic which still increased by a healthy 7%. The total number of passengers utilising the service in the quarter was 2.6 million.

The news is timely for the group which still reported a fall of just less than 1% in total passenger numbers for the year to date on the back of an horrific first few months. The third quarter revival was an increase of 7% on last year’s numbers.

CEO Richard Brown welcomed the news and also suggested that the purse strings which were tightened by many businesses in the face on the recession may finally be loosening as business passenger numbers showed a slight increase as well. The signs are similar to many industries where corporate clients have begun to ease restrictions in the face of an economic upturn.

The good news may be short-lived for Eurostar; from 2010 the Tunnel will allow competitors to use the facility.