Partner Article

New figures show tourism market boom

NEW figures have revealed a £117m climb in the annual value of the region’s tourism industry.

According to regional development agency One North East, last year saw visitor spend in the region jump 3% on 2008 to with the £4bn mark.

Direct revenue increased by over 5% in the past year while spend on accommodation in particular has increased by 7%.

The visitor economy supports over 65,000 jobs in North East England that is up 2% on 2008, and is equivalent to 4.6% of employment in the area.

Geoff Hodgson, chair of the North East Tourism Advisory Board said: “As these figures show, business and leisure-related visitor spending is extremely important to the region. The visitor economy has shown significant growth over the past seven years, and in 2008-09 alone revenue increased by 3% and employment in the sector by 2%.

“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. These attractions play a major part in the visitor economy of the North East.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .