A new report from Transport for the North (TfN) claims to have laid out for the first time just how extensive the visitor economy is to the region.
The new figures revealed today in the 'Visitor Economy and Transport in the North of England' document show a £21bn annual visitor spend across the region, with the region having accounted for 25% of tourism spending in England. That number goes up to 37% when London is discounted.
The total net GVA contribution to that figure stood at £12.33bn - from some 420m visits in 2019 - six million of which werre from international visitors.
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With the biggest cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle top of the league for places to go, Cumbria and North Yorkshire ranked second and third in the 海角视频 for the share of economic output attributable to tourism – bettered only by Cornwall.
The report was commissioned by TfN for Atkins and Leisure Consultancy Ltd to undertake the first comprehensive pan-Northern study of the visitor economy and its relationship with transport. It will form part of the sub-national transport body’s evidence base when setting out future strategic plans and providing statutory advice on the region's transport.
Martin Tugwell, chief executive of TfN, said: “This report paints a clear, and very exciting, picture of the value of our region’s visitor economy.
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“This research has wider implications. The transport challenges those coming into our region face are the same for our residents and businesses too, particularly in rural areas, so the insights from this work will help build our cases for all manner of projects.
“As we look to build back better and greener, these findings are part of the evidence and insight needed to identify those solutions that will bring the biggest benefits and the most positive outcomes. "
Further findings showed the visitor economy provides jobs for 579,000 people and 39,000 businesses – accounting for 8% of total employment in the North – with many more jobs supported indirectly.
April and August are the most popular months to visit the North for both domestic and international visitors, it added.
Mr Tugwell said: "We must ensure we get the committed investment needed to create a transport network with the speed, capacity and reliability to move these visitors, and our residents, around more effectively. Additional investment could be truly transformative for our economy, our businesses and our people.
“As this year’s “staycation summer” has demonstrated, our region has a lot to offer holidaying Brits, so we must ensure we do everything we can to encourage them to keep coming back.”
The report also identified a "unique opportunity" for the North to benefit from increased demand for 海角视频-based tourism and leisure experiences among domestic visitors.
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It showed visitors had identified barriers to using public transport for visitor journeys, including high cost of travel and poor value for money relative to using a car, confusing ticketing options, and restricted levels of service.
It also cited poor connectivity in rural areas, unreliability of services, and different accessibility and inclusion issues particularly for families, passengers with mobility or other health issues, and those travelling with bikes or heavy luggage.
The report said Northern Powerhouse Rail and High Speed 2 could provide a "step change" in connectivity - increasing attractiveness of the region for domestic business and leisure visitors, providing better links to key international gateways such as Manchester Airport.
The recommendations intended to make transport easier to use, more sustainable and inclusive, included more reliable and joined-up services that reduce journey times, changes between services, and uncertainty for visitors, a more "joined-up" approach across the North to better market the region and manage transport demand, and promotion and development of ticket offers and packages.