For a town wooing the trendy tourist with promotional posters of skateboarding teenagers, this was hardly the acclaim it wanted.

But Eastbourne, known for decades as God's waiting room, has been named one of the country's best coach trip destinations.

A survey of coach operators and hoteliers by Eastbourne Borough Council and the University of Brighton, found the town was a major hit with coach users, with a quarter of its four million yearly visitors arriving by bus.

The borough council has predicted a healthy future for coach tourism despite a high-profile campaign to rid the town of its "blue rinse" image and attract younger visitors.

Last year Eastbourne was ranked third behind Bognor and Worthing in a poll of the worst places in Sussex to be a young person.

A poster campaign was launched in January, along with the logo Change Your View, in a bid to rebrand the town and tap into the thirty-something market.

Councillor David Elkin, spokesman for tourism, said: "The results have been very positive and indicate this will continue to be a strong market for Eastbourne. However, it is important we continue developing further markets with a product which also appeals to a younger audience."

Keith Morrison, the council's assistant director, put the popularity of coach trips down to a change in clientele.

He said: "The results are encouraging as they show coach operators are already offering more themed trips attracting slightly younger visitors or older visitors seeking an active holiday."