The nation turns to psychics and clairvoyants to see the end of recession - 20 August 2009

The UK is increasingly looking for mystical guidance while the economic gloom continues, new data from Yell.com, the online business directory from Yellow Pages, reveals.

Data from the UK’s local search engine, shows that searches last month for terms such as ‘psychics and clairvoyants’, ‘psychic healing’ and other related terms have increased by almost 800 per cent, when compared with the same period in 2008.*

The almost eight-fold increase in psychic related searches suggests that amid the uncertainty and stress of the global downturn, more and more people are turning to professional psychics to gain reassurance and guidance about their future.

Yell.com also reveals the West Midlands to be the area in the UK with the highest rise in psychic related searches. People searching for insights from psychic related businesses and services in the region rose by 260 per cent.

Blackpool in Lancashire is the individual town that has seen the biggest rush for crystal balls, with an 88 per cent increase in Yell.com searches for psychic related terms.

Craig Hamilton-Parker, popular psychic medium from www.psychics.co.uk, said: “Since the economy started to decline we have definitely received more interest from people unsure about their future, wanting to get an alternative insight into what is in store for them. A professional consultation with a psychic or clairvoyant can provide useful insight into personal circumstances, career paths, wealth and relationships.”

Matthew Bottomley, director of new media product marketing for Yell.com, said: “We have a wealth of data at our finger tips at Yell.com and are effectively a fascinating social barometer of what is going on in the nation. This shows that Yell.com is not just for the obvious things in life such as plumbers and restaurants - it also quickly and easily helps people find all kinds of local businesses in their area.”

Yell.com has 11million unique users and a database of over two million UK business listings (July 2009).

* Based on the percentage increase of the total amount of psychic related searches during July 2009, compared to July 2008.

For further information about this press release, please contact the Yell Press Office.

Yell.com
Launched in 1996, Yell.com is a leading local search engine and major online advertising medium for UK businesses. Yell.com provides users with a direct route to finding a business or service online using keyword, type of business, or company name and location as search criteria. Users can review relevant search results and quickly determine the right business for their needs. Yell.com’s database of over two million UK business listings including 215,000 searchable advertisers (June 2009) can be accessed via the web site (www.yell.com) and mobile channels including JAVA™ and WAP services. Yell.com provides several useful features such as zoom-enabled maps with directions, closest car parks and a personal Yell.com address book facility to keep a record of regularly used businesses.

Yell.com is part of Yell, a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Spain and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell’s principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.

Yell's online image library, containing product shots and logos can be found at: www.yellgroup.com/images

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