The North East's visitor economy is now worth a reported £6bn to the region but visitor numbers fell slightly last year, according to newly collated data.
Around 68.4m people came to the region in 2024, down from 69m the year before, according to STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) modelling. But tourism officials point to a modest rise in the number of overnight stays to 7.8m, compared with pre-pandemic levels in 2019 of 7.5m.
Three years ago, the North East - which often falls behind regional competitors when it comes to the visitor economy - was chosen to host England's first Destination Development Partnership pilot. The programme aimed to streamline tourism boards and gave Destination North East England an initial £2.25m to spend by March this year with the aim to grow the region's visitor economy by 6% in that time and double it within 10 years.
The partnership - led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative on behalf of the region - received a new round of funding earlier this year, to continue its work. Bosses attributed the rise in overnight stays to investment in new attractions, work with the travel industry and marketing in overseas markets such as India, the US and Nordic countries.
Overall 2024 visitor numbers were dragged down by a fall in the number of day visitors, which were down 7.4% on 2019's number to 60.6m people. However, tourism officials pointed to challenges in tracking visits to the region's beaches, parks and open spaces which they said are not fully represented in the data.
Separate data, compiled using the Great Britain Tourism Survey commissioned by VisitEngland, shows the North East is at the bottom of a º£½ÇÊÓƵ regional league table for overnight stays with an estimated 3.1m, compared with near neighbours Yorkshire (9.3m) and the North West (14.5m). It was a similar story for day visitors, with the North East trailing behind with 29m, compared with the East Midlands at 77m and Yorkshire at 80m.
Destination North East England said there were indications that leisure and weekend travel had dipped in April and May this year, but It said a weekend taskforce and work to capitalise on the region's creative, cultural and sporting assets and attract major events was under way to meet the challenge. It said the mixed visitor economy picture underlined the need for continued investment.
John Marshall, chair of Destination North East England, said: "I’m pleased to see our approach as England’s first Destination Development Partnership is helping to attracting more overnight stays and increasing the sector’s overall economic impact to over £6.6bn. From partnership working with VisitBritain and industry, increased engagement with the international travel trade to the fantastic work of our Convention Bureau who work hard to attract high-spending business travellers, Destination North East England is continuing to support our visitor economy and transform North East England into a world-class visitor destination."
About 62,800 people are estimated to work in the region's visitor economy. The statistics have been released as the region has won a number of prizes at England's national tourism awards ceremony.
Northumberland museum and whisky distillery Ad Gefrin was named best new tourism business at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence in its category. Judges described the £16m site as a must-visit destination. The Battlesteads hotel at Wark, Northumberland, took bronze in the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award sponsored by :
There was a silver award for Seaham Hall Hotel in County Durham in the small hotel category. And Caitlin Brown, who works at the Escape Key in Newcastle, was runner-up in the Unsung Hero category.
The Glasshouse music centre in Gateshead won bronze in the Business Events Venue of the Year category. The Battlesteads hotel at Wark, Northumberland, took bronze in the Ethical, Responsible and Sustainable Tourism Award.
