Tourism injected £3bn into Cumbria’s economy last year
Cumbria’s tourism sector generated £3bn for the county’s economy last year and supported 65,000 jobs – 20% of the county’s total employment.
The statistics come from the Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor, commonly known as ‘STEAM’.
The latest figures focus on Cumbria’s overall tourism performance for 2018 and reveals an overall 3.7% increase in the value of tourism compared to the previous year.
The biggest increases in were in Eden (+8.6%), South Lakeland (+5.6%), Barrow (+4.2%) and Copeland (+4.1%).
South Lakeland district accounts for the greatest share of £3bn tourism revenue at 44%, followed by Carlisle with 18% and Allerdale with 16%.
The county also saw an increase in overnight stays in 2018, with an extra 410,000 bed nights across Cumbria.
At the same time, there was a small drop in day visitors to Cumbria of -0.7%.
Managing director of Cumbria Tourism Gill Haigh said “This is the sixth year of growth for the value of the county’s tourism industry, and the new £3bn figure underlines the importance of the sector to our economy.
“It also demonstrates the success of Cumbria Tourism’s continuing ‘attract and disperse’ policy, which draws on the strength of the Lake District brand to attract staying visitors who also want to discover and explore the wider county.
“The visitor economy brings a range of benefits to the whole of Cumbria and helps make the county not only a great place to visit, but also a great place to live and work.
“We believe that by working together there are significant opportunities to further grow the value of tourism.”
She added: “That said, we are conscious that these are testing times for Cumbria’s tourism sector.
“Our recent Business Performance Survey highlights continued rising costs for tourism businesses, uncertainties around Brexit and reduced consumer spending.
“As an industry, joined-up investment, co-ordination and partnership working is vital to ensure our world-class destination continues to sustain jobs and bring all year round benefits in the county as a whole.”
