IMAGE CREDIT: Wealden District Council
Visitors to Wealden are now spending over £300 million a year in the District.—Wealden District Council, 25 January 2018
Total expenditure by visitors (overnight and day) to Wealden is estimated to have been in the region of £305 million in 2016, the most recent year surveyed.
Tourism related activity supports 20% of jobs across the District, equating to 8,682 jobs including part time and seasonal employment. “Tourism continues to be a major driver of the Wealden economy, creating new jobs and securing an income for a wide range of businesses,” said Councillor Roy Galley, Cabinet member of Economic Development. “Nearly one in five of all jobs in Wealden rely wholly, or in some part, on tourism.”
“Our breath-taking Wealden scenery and natural environment is the star attraction, but a growing factor bringing visitors to Wealden is the number of new vineyards, many of which are featured in our 2018 We do the Best Attractions leaflet.
Visits by organised groups from across the country are coming to see the English wine-making process first-hand and sample the locally-produced food and drink in our pubs and restaurants.”
“I am particularly pleased to note the rise in the number of visitors staying overnight to spend more time in the District, providing more opportunities for our catering and hospitality trades. An estimated 1.9 million visitor nights were spent in the District and Wealden out-performed the regional averages in terms of volume and value of overseas visitors.
The 2018 Wealden Do the Best Attractions leaflet is being distributed to hotels, tourist destinations, libraries, businesses, farm shops and garden centres within a two-and-a-half hour drive from Wealden. It will also be available from tourist information centres nationally and will also be available to download from the tourism pages of the Wealden website.
Among the 79 attractions featured, are Wealden award-winning vineyards, and many are open to the public. Other attractions include parks and gardens, heritage sites, outdoor activity centres, castles, open farms, fisheries, steam railways and truggeries. There are also special offers for many of the listed attractions available on presentation of the leaflet. The leaflet also features fascinating snippets of local history from many of the villages in towns in Wealden including Blackham, Chelwood Gate, Horam, Mayfield and Waldron, as well an information about different walking and cycling routes in the District.
For all the latest information about all the events taking place in Wealden and to download your copy, visit the Wealden do Sussex website, www.wealdendo-sussex.co.uk.
A report on Tourism in Wealden can be downloaded from the Tourism pages of the Wealden website, where you can also see our stunning birds-eye view video, A Journey Through Wealden.
