Tourism can be the home win we need
Jan 31 2009 by Rob Pattinson, The Journal
TOURISM can lead the region out of the recession if it is supported with homegrown holidaymakers.
That is the claim from tourism bosses who want North East families to plan a “stay at home year” to help boost the region’s economy.
The key players in the region’s tourism industry are calling on the Government to help them persuade families to spend in the UK – especially in light of the weak pound.
The call follows the publication of Government statistics indicating that the amount of time and money being spent by international tourists in the North is decreasing.
According to the International Passenger Survey (IPS), a total spend of £230m was recorded in 2007, across Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Durham – down 3% on the previous year.
And foreign visitors spent a total of 4.4m nights in the region, down 17% from the previous year’s 5.3m.
Despite the falls, the region still welcomed a record 609,000 visits, beating all previous years.
Tourism bosses said they were encouraged by this growth, but because the statistics focus on foreign visitors, they failed to reveal the successes the region has found in attracting domestic tourists. They added this is where the region should be looking to capitalise.
Geoff Hodgson, chairman of the North East England Tourism Board, called for 2009 to be a “stay in your back yard year”.
He said: “I’d like to see the Government hold hands with the private sector and call for a stay at home year.
“Tourism has been the fastest growing sector in the region over the last five years, and it’s in a great position to inspire economic recovery here.
“My personal view is there’s lots of things going in our favour at the moment. With the value of sterling down against the dollar and the euro it’s very expensive to go abroad at the moment, so hopefully families can be persuaded to stay at home rather than go abroad.
“The difficulty is we’re competing with every other region in Britain. We’re lucky our ‘Passionate People, Passionate Places’ campaign has done well advertising the region as a whole.
“Tourism is about families here, day visitors are still the biggest part of our business. I’d like to see even more families getting out and doing things in the region. The other important thing is friends and family, the North East has a big pull in this area, and it is a big part of its business. We’ve got a great chance, but we’ve got a lot of competition.”
The NewcastleGateshead Initiative (NGI) has reinforced claims that domestic tourists offer a route to financial success for the region.
IPS figures show the amount of time international travellers are spending in Newcastle has fallen dramatically from 3.1m to 1.6m nights – a drop of 48%.
But NGI revealed the value of tourism here rose 4% to £1.2bn last year, with total visitor numbers in Tyne and Wear growing to 19.5m. City centre hotel bookings are also up on 2008 by an average of 5%.
NewcastleGateshead Initiative chief executive, Andrew Dixon, said: “Last year saw a significant increase in tourism revenue, for NewcastleGateshead, and also for Tyne and Wear and the North East overall. The impact in terms of employment was also vital to sustaining growth and development.
“There are indications there is still strength and buoyancy in the tourism economy here. With the current economic landscape changing we will be looking at how we can achieve greater investment in tourism marketing so that we do not stand still, but continue to thrive and prosper.”
Across the North East the value of tourism to the economy has grown by 30% over the past five years and is now worth nearly £4bn annually.
