The North-East is increasingly recognising its potential as a tourist destination, with the number of overnight visitors increasing steadily over most of the previous decade.  The North East now attracts nearly 9 million visitors every year, and their visits generate £3.5 billion for the regional economy and support around 55,000 jobs (5.2% of the region’s employment).  It has been recognised however that there are still plenty of untapped possibilities for tourism in the North East, as it still remains one of the least-visited regions by people from outside the UK.

Visitors to the North East cite the people, the coastline, the countryside, the history and the heritage as the defining features of the region, and it is obvious that these features will be vital to attracting tourism in the future.  The region is blessed with areas of great natural beauty, such as the Northumberland National Park and the attractive coastline.  There is also great cultural and historical significance in the region, with its illustrious industrial and maritime past.  Sites such as Hadrian’s Wall, the array of museums, and numerous picturesque market towns help to give the region its unique identity.  There is also great scope in the North East to cater to an emerging leisure market, with walking, cycling, fishing, bird watching, golf, water sports and extreme sports all suited to the varied North East terrain.  Businesses facilitating these sorts of services will become part of a growing industry.

One North East, along with various sub regional partnerships and a wide array a private firms, is dedicated to investing heavily in the tourist assets of the region, which will make people more likely to visit, and more likely to enjoy their visit.  Investments in infrastructure are seen as important, with better access and signage required in many areas.  As are improvements in marketing, especially e-marketing which would make on-line information and bookings more common.  A more distinctive retail offer is an objective, on the basis that a more unique set of outlets will attract more visitors and more spending.  Similarly a better quality of accommodation is seen as a priority, and there are plans afoot to develop a major regional exhibition centre in Newcastle or Gateshead, which would attract significant numbers of business visitors, one of the highest spending groups of visitors.  Promotional activity in key gateway markets and the encouragement of low-cost flights into the regions airports could swell the number of overseas visitors, who are the top spenders when visiting the North East.  These are some of the many initiatives which will hopefully make the North East a more popular place to visit, and in turn create more jobs and expand the region’s economy.

Fact File

• Around 500,000 people from outside the UK visit the North East every year.  These visitors are split quite evenly between visiting for business, leisure or to visit friends & family.
• Tourism in the region remains highly seasonal, with the summer period (July to September) accounting for a third of all tourist days.
• In 2004 people aged 16-24 were most likely to visit the region.
• Tourism generates around 4.6 per cent of regional GVA
• During a visit to the North East, visitors staying in serviced accommodation will spend twice as much as those staying with friends and relatives – around £88 per day as opposed to £40 per day.  Visitors on day trips will spend around £20 per person per day.
• Visitors from overseas on average spend around £319 over an average stay of 7.4 nights.
• Advice from friends or relatives was the most important source of information for the first time visitor followed by the internet.