Tourism on the up for Hull
NEW research has revealed that Hull has enjoyed an increase in visitor spend and jobs growth since 2012.
The report, by Visit Hull & East Yorkshire and prepared by the Tourism South East Research Unit, highlights that a total of £195.6m was spent on trips to Hull in 2013 by overnight and day visitors, up 7% compared to 2012. At the same time, day trip expenditure increased by 11% from £125.4m to £139.2m in 2013.
As a result, the income to the local economy is estimated to have supported around 4,098 full-time equivalent jobs, up by 6% compared to 2012. These jobs are spread across a range of service sectors including retail, catering, travel and hospitality.
Councillor Steven Bayes, portfolio holder for visitor destination and City of Culture, said: “This is fantastic news for our city and really demonstrates the positive impact of tourism on the local economy.
“What is important is that these figures are for the period before Hull won the UK City of Culture title, so this means that this is as a result of a natural progression of increased tourism and jobs growth.”
Drawing together direct business turnover, supplier and income induced expenditure, the total value of tourism activity in Hull 2013 is estimated to have been around £259.9m, up 6% compared to 2012.
Bayes added: “There is huge potential to really change the tourism landscape and come 2017 we hope to be a world class visitor destination with a large focus on increasing visitor spend within the local economy.”
