Northumberland’s Tourism Sector in post-COVID Rebound
22 Sep 2022 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
The annual STEAM report on the economic impact of tourism in Northumberland has been released, revealing a strong bounce back from 2020 in respect to visits, expenditure and employment.
The research commissioned for Visit Northumberland by NewcastleGateshead Initiative shows that the value of the visitor economy doubled to £858.95 million in 2021 compared to 2020. It also demonstrates a stronger recovery in spend than in visitor numbers, driven by an increase in spend by staying visitors. This indicates that more people stayed and spent more while here which supports findings from our 2021 campaign evaluation where length of stay increased to an average of 4.5 nights.
As expected, the results still remain below that of the records achieved in 2019 and the value of the visitor economy in 2021 was 21% lower than in 2019.
Andrew Fox, chair of Visit Northumberland, said, “It has been a difficult few years for tourism and we are delighted that the dedication and determination from everyone involved within Northumberland’s tourism industry is driving the recovery. The results show an overall increase of 22% in the size of the visitor economy over the last ten years, but we still have some way to go to return to pre-pandemic record levels.
“Compared to 2020, proportionately more visits are staying visits accounting for 19% of visits and 68% of spend. We are pleased to see the spike in day visitors which was seen in 2020 rescind with more visitors now choosing to stay in Northumberland.”
An extensive visitor survey conducted by Visit Northumberland in the summer of 2021 provides further evidence of this changing composition of visitors. Other significant findings were that overall visitor satisfaction levels were high, with 100% of visitors saying they were made to feel welcome and 99% would recommend Northumberland as a destination to visit.
Co-ordinated by Visit Northumberland, the new Destination Management Plan for Northumberland has been crafted in collaboration with industry leaders from the tourism sector. This joint working is vital to ensure that the economy continues to bounce back to 2019 levels and beyond with sustainable management so that Northumberland remains a place both residents and visitors alike can enjoy and be proud of.
During 2020 and 2021, grant funding from Northumberland County Council enabled many businesses to survive, some even taking advantage of quieter periods to develop their business further and emerge from the Covid lockdowns and restrictions thriving. Marketing campaigns from Visit Northumberland have encouraged visitors to return to Northumberland and discover the county’s endless experiences.
In addition, over the past two summers, a tactical visitor planning group headed up by Northumberland County Council, involving numerous partners throughout the county, ran a successful ‘Love it like it’s yours’ visitor management campaign, encouraging visitors to behave responsibly and respect the county.
Other key findings from the STEAM research found the number of people directly employed in tourism stands at 11,179, a 61% recovery from 2020 with the return of 4,236 jobs, however this is still 15% lower than the 13,076 supported in 2019. Our 2022 employment survey highlighted that recruitment was limiting growth of operations.
Councillor Jeff Watson, portfolio holder for Healthy Lives at Northumberland County Council and chair of Advance Northumberland said: "The improvements found in this year's report are down to the hard work and dedication of everyone in Northumberland's tourism industry.
"Our county boasts not only stunning coastline and green spaces but the friendliest and most hardworking individuals who strive to give visitors a warm welcome and a memorable visit.
"There are still improvements to be made to get back to pre-pandemic figures, but through partnership working and initiatives such as 'Love it like it's yours' and 'Discover Northumberland' we're dedicated to boosting our tourism industry.”