The amount spent by tourists visiting Wealden last year rose by 3.5% to £242.3 million compared to 2012.
“These latest figures underline the important role tourism plays in increasing the prosperity of Wealden,” said Councillor Roy Galley. “It is not just those businesses involved in tourism who benefit. There is a knock-on effect due to tourism businesses and their employees purchasing goods and services which creates a further £51.9 million for other local businesses. This means the total benefit from tourism to the District’s economy is £294.2 million. This is an increase of 3.3% compared to 2012, despite the additional visitor interest that year from the London Olympics.
“We have seen the number of overseas visitors staying overnight in the District rise by 13% which means they are making a significant contribution to the local economy. Day visitors are now spending more than they did in 2012.
“This year we are hoping to see tourism make an even greater impact on the local economy following the success of our first ever Food and Wine Festival at Pevensey Castle, which was attended by 5,768 visitors, as well as our Coast & Country Walking Festival which begins on 27 September and our We do the best attractions in Sussex campaign, which is focussing entirely on Wealden.”
Figures from The Economic Impact of Tourism in Wealden 2013 report produced by Tourism South East show that tourist spending helped increase the number of jobs in the District.
The total number of tourism supported jobs rose in 2013 by 3% from 6,702 to 6,904, with many of the new jobs either part-time or seasonal work. Tourism South East points out that these jobs are spread across a wide range of service sectors from catering and retail to public services. Tourism accounts for nearly 16% of all jobs in Wealden.
The overall number of visitors using overnight accommodation in 2013 rose by 1.6%, the number of day trips rose by 1.8%.
Part of the overall income tourism earns for the District is generated through expenditure on second homes, and goods and service purchased by the friends and relatives who the visitors were staying with. This additional spending amounted to nearly £10 million in 2013.
