9:18am Tuesday 7th September 2010
By Owen McAteer
THE North-East’s fast growing £4bn tourism industry has enjoyed another successful year, figures have revealed.
County Durham recorded the biggest growth in visitors as the region saw a £117m rise in visitor spend last year, a five per cent increase.
Tourism now supports more than 65,000 jobs in the North-East, up two per cent on 2008, and is equivalent to 4.6 per cent of employment in the region, the figures released yesterday by regional development agency One North East show.
In May last year, it emerged the North-East was the only area outside London to show an increase in visitor numbers in 2008, and they rose again last year from 80 million to 83 million.
County Durham saw visitors plough an extra £25m into the local economy as expenditure rose eight per cent in the past year. This was supported by visitor numbers to one of its biggest attractions, Beamish Museum, near Stanley, where they have risen by a third, from 300,000 in 2008 to 400,000 this year.
Museum director Richard Evans said: “We have been delighted to welcome so many visitors to Beamish this year.
“We have seen a dramatic increase in numbers both from the local area and from across the country.”
Mr Evans believed the popularity of its Beamish Unlimited pass, introduced this year and allowing unlimited entry to the museum for a year, as well as a programme of special events, had undoubtedly contributed to the increase.
Visit County Durham chief executive Melanie Sensicle, said: “Durham’s tourism industry has recorded the highest growth of the sub-regions in North-East England, in terms of direct revenue created by our visitor economy, and has restored the economic impact of this vital industry to post-recession levels of 2007.
“A lot of hard work has gone into developing Durham’s attractiveness as a visitor destination and it is paying off.
“Current trends indicate that tourism in Durham will continue to go from strength to strength.”
The Tees Valley saw a particular rise in overnight stays, and spending by visitors rose by £8m in the past year. More than two million people stayed overnight in the Tees valley last year, a rise of 26 per cent since 2003.
Since 2003, the number of overnight visitors to the region overall has increased by nine per cent and the number of nights actually spent in the region by 15 per cent.
Julia Frater, head of visit- Teesvalley, said: “We’re really pleased to see the number of overnight visitors to Tees Valley has increased significantly over the past seven years.
“These visitors spent more than 4.5 million nights, a rise of 24 per cent. Spend by visitors now stands at £563m, with an additional £8m in 2008 and £40m more than in 2003.”
Geoff Hodgson, chairman of the North-East Tourism Advisory Board, said: “As these figures show, business and leisure-related visitor spending is extremely important to the region.
“North-East England has a great range of visitor attractions that showcase our rich history and heritage and make the most of our fantastic coastline and countryside.”
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