Tourism in North East England

Tourism in the North East - Key Facts

Tourism is big business: last year tourism supported 55,000 jobs and contributed £3.5 billion to our regional economy, that's 4.6% of the region's GVA*. But who are these tourists? Where do they come from? Why? What do they want when they get here? And what does it mean for your business?
*GVA is Gross Value Added, and it measures the contribution to the economy of each individual producer, industry or sector in the United Kingdom.

Main areas of growth

Main areas of growth for tourism in the North East are:

• Budget accommodation
• Luxury accommodation
• Outdoor and activity attractions
• Food and drink themes
• Cruise tourism

Reasons for visiting

The key reasons for visiting, in order of popularity are:

• Day trips
• Holidays or short breaks
• Visiting friends and relatives
• Business

Strengths

Visitors identify the following as the key strengths of the region:

• The people
• Coastline
• History and heritage
• Countryside

Visitors

The most common origins of visitors are:

Domestic visitors

The North East welcomed 8.6 million overnight visitors in 2006, directly spending £0.9 billion. 26% of domestic overnight visitors are residents of the North East. Other most significant markets are Yorkshire 17%, London/South East 14%, Scotland 11% and the North West 10%.

International visitors

Germany is the biggest international market with 100,000 trips in 2006, followed by Norway (71,000), Ireland (52,000), Netherlands (40,000), USA/Canada (43,000), Spain (33,000) and France (32,000).

74 million day visits were made to and within the region. Day visitors directly spent £1.3 billion.

Most popular activities

The most popular activities are eating out (almost half of visitors do this), sightseeing (over 40%) and shopping (40%). 22% of visitors are likely to go walking (less than 2 miles) and 17% are likely to take longer walks. 21% of visitors visit the beach and 19% visit parks and gardens.

Northumberland visitors are more likely to go walking and cycling, while those in Tyne and Wear are more likely to go shopping. Northumberland and Durham visitors are more likely to visit heritage sites, whilst Tees Valley visitors are more likely to attend events.

Staying with Friends and Relatives (SFR)

4.6 million visitors stayed with friends and relatives in 2006 for a total of 10.9 million nights. They spent £479 million.

Group visitors

There are 11,000 Group Travel Operators in the UK and 1,476 Coach Operators. The value of the North East group travel market is £13.2 million, 7.2% of the total. An opportunity has been identified for the North East to meet the needs of the luxury group travel market, a lucrative sector. The average spend for luxury groups is £134 per day, as opposed to £48 for all group visitors and £65 for overnight visitors.

Business visitors

Half a million overnight domestic visitors to the region come here on business (14% of all domestic overnight trips) and spend by domestic business tourists is worth £112 million (20% of overnight visitor spend).

178,000 international visitors come here on business (27% of the total international visitors) and they spend £67 million (26% of the total). This equates to an average spend of £376 per trip (the average holiday spend is £281).

Spend

The table above shows direct spending by all visitors. Tyne and Wear accounts for almost 50% of all visitor expenditure. From 2003 to 2006 expenditure by visitors to the Tees Valley grew by almost 15% (twice as fast as the regional average).
Indirect spending of £1.3 billion brings the total to £3.5 billion.

Accommodation stock

The region offers a wide range of accommodation with around 3,400 establishments evenly split between serviced and self-catering. The distribution of accommodation around the region varies significantly, with Northumberland dominated by campsites and self-catering properties while the larger hotels are concentrated in Tyne and Wear.

Self-catering occupancy levels are highly seasonal, whereas those in serviced accommodation are more evenly spread throughout the year.

Attractions

There are 360 attractions in the region (registered on Desti.ne, our regional information database). The top ten paid and the top ten free attractions, and their visitor numbers, are listed below.

Tourism businesses

There are a wide variety of businesses that draw their customers from the tourism sector, the main ones are: accommodation, attractions, eating and drinking, entertainment, arts and crafts, activity providers, guides.

There are at least:

• 360 attractions
• 20 arts centres and theatres
• 28 cinemas
• 17 galleries
• 165 regular music venues
• 65 night clubs
• 42 activity providers registered with the AALA

Development and investment

During 2006 tourism developments with a value of more than £40 million opened in the North East. A further 28 projects are under development or discussion with a cumulative value of £250 million. Developments that opened include:

• Woodhorn Northumberland Museum (Northumberland)
• Alnwick Garden Pavilion and Visitor Centre (Northumberland)
• Alnwick Road Train (Northumberland)
• Northern Stage Theatre (Newcastle)
• The Albatross Backpackers Hostel (Newcastle)

Tourism organisations

There are a number of public and private sector organisations dedicated to tourism:

Tourism Network North East
In the North East the organisations responsible for tourism work together in a partnership, called the Tourism Network North East, to ensure the best possible delivery of tourism services.

One NorthEast Tourism
This is the regional tourism organisation, responsible for producing and implementing a strategy for sustainable tourism in North East England. One NorthEast Tourism are also responsible for: increasing the share of visitors to the North East from the UK and abroad; encouraging investment and development; helping tourism businesses improve quality and productivity; providing direction for visitor services (like the Tourist Information Centres); research and developing new markets (like China and the Far East).
Click here for more about One NorthEast Tourism.

Area Tourism Partnerships
The four Area Tourism Partnerships work closely with the tourism businesses and professionals in their areas to promote and develop lasting tourism. They provide marketing, support, business advice, training and help the staff in our industry develop their skills and qualifications.

Click below to find out more about the Area Tourism Partnership in your area:

• County Durham Tourism Partnership
• Northumberland Tourism
• Tourism Tyne and Wear
• visitTeesvalley

Suggested next step:

Please see the Research section for more facts about tourism and visitors.