Northumberland tourist chiefs plan to bring more visitors to county

Nov 16 2009 by David Black, The Journal

TOURISM chiefs in Northumberland want to attract more and higher-spending visitors in a bid to further develop a vital industry which ploughs £710m a year into the county’s economy.

A new draft plan for the future of tourism in England’s most northerly county aims to tackle existing problems said to be hampering progress – including weaknesses in its food, drink and shopping offer, and the highly-seasonal nature of the industry.

The document sets out a vision that by 2015 Northumberland will be attracting a growing number of visitors, who are spending more per head during their stay because the quality and range of experiences have grown, and are being enticingly promoted and sold.

Tourism officials says if an extra £5 could have been obtained from each of the 10 million overnight and day visitors to the county in 2007, it would have pumped another £50m into the local economy.

Northumberland Tourism chairman, Peter Kemp, says this equates to each visitor being persuaded to buy an extra pot of Earl Grey tea and a locally-produced scone or sandwich.

The agency and its partner organisations have drawn up a draft Area Tourism Management Plan (ATMP) which sets out the aims and strategic priorities for the development of tourism in Northumberland for the next five years.

It says that while the total contribution of tourism to the county’s economy in 2007 was £710m, there is still scope for growth.

The industry remains highly seasonal, with more than a third of all tourist days coming in the July to September period, and surveys have shown many visitors are disappointed with the food and retail offer compared to other similar areas of the county.

Mr Kemp says: “There is a common view that Northumberland has all the right natural assets to become an even more successful visitor destination, but has yet to full advantage of them.” The draft plan says it is widely considered that Hadrian’s Wall and Kielder Water have yet to reach their full potential, and there are opportunities for more visitor activity at Berwick, Alnwick and Seaton Delaval Hall.