British Seaside Tourism 'booming'

[Coast]

'British seaside tourism is still alive and well, a new report shows'

Living in a popular seaside resort I can attest to this, many of our jobs in the locality rely on tourism and specifically the seaside. If you live by the sea - do you welcome tourists and how much does your local economy benefit or suffer from the influx?

The industry in England and Wales directly supports 210,000 people – as many as the whole telecommunications sector, a study of 121 resorts by Sheffield Hallam University has found. It sustains more people than the motor industry, aerospace, pharmaceuticals or steel. The estimated value to the economy of the jobs in seaside tourism is about £3.6billion.

Blackpool has the largest single concentration of seaside tourist jobs, totalling more than 19,000. Fifty-eight towns each have at least 1,000 jobs in the sector. Since the late 1990s, employment in seaside tourism has risen by about one per cent a year – an overall growth of 20,000 jobs.

Prof Steve Fothergill, who led the report team, said: ‘That a large seaside tourist industry has survived and adapted is good news, not just for seaside towns but for the British economy as a whole. ‘Leisure and tourism is a growing market. What our figures show is that, even in the face of stiff competition from abroad, Britain’s seaside towns have been able to retain and even expand much of their core business.

‘The British seaside tourist industry remains a major employer. The new government should make every effort to ensure that the industry delivers its full potential in the coming years.’

Peter Hampson, director of the British Resorts and Destinations Association, said: ‘The seaside tourist industry has been written off too often.

This report highlights its resilience.

www.metro.co.uk/news

[Paul]

I think the recession has been really kind to British tourism as a whole - I would imagine the decent start to summer won't do it any harm either..

[SP1986]

New Brighton on Wirral used to be one of the biggest holiday resorts in Britain until the collapse of the pier and the burning down of New Brighton tower - which at the time rivalled Blackpool tower (and was bigger I think) plus the removal of the biggest open air pool at the time!

These unfortunate events ended New Brightons success as a seaside town and it feel into disrepair for decades.

Now plans of there to rebuild new brighton into a modern use seaside town, cinemas, restaraunts, cafes, an open air pool etc, but it will still be well below the standard you can call a seaside town.