THE number of people staying in hotels in the North-East has increased on last year.

The HotelBenchmark Survey, by Deloitte, in Newcastle, found that occupancy levels in September were up from the same month last year, with rates in Cleveland reaching 81.7 per cent this year, up 12.4 per cent from last year.

The findings showed that overall revenue per hotel room in the region was up by 4.3 per cent in September compared with the same time last year - above an average growth of 2.8 per cent for the UK.

Paul Williamson, Deloitte Newcastle's senior partner, said: "It's apparent from the survey that the international traveller has not been deterred by recent events, as all areas of the North-East hotel industry show an increase in room rates. The fact that compared to last year occupancy rates, average room rate and revenue per available hotel room are all favourable, is a very positive development that will hopefully continue over the next few months."