Brighton has enjoyed a tourism boom despite the recession – and maybe even because of it.
The “staycation” trend has boosted visitor numbers to Brighton and Hove, according to a report by Tourism South East.
And they spent more too with the report putting their value at close to £1 billion.
The number of day trippers rose by 5 per cent to more than seven million and their spending rose 8.5 per cent to £264 million.
The number of visitors staying in Brighton and Hove rose 4 per cent to about 1.5 million and their spending also rose 4 per cent to £470 million.
The report said that there were spin-off benefits, such as extra work for suppliers, which made tourism worth just under a billion pounds a year to the local economy.
This is a rise of 5.3 per cent.
The latest figures are for 2009 and show that 13,600 jobs in Brighton and Hove rely on tourism.
And the sector accounts for about 12 per cent of local employees – or nearly one in eight.
David Smith, the Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet member responsible for tourism, said: “It’s an interesting twist in the recession tale.
“We have gained from the staycation effect, with more people holidaying at home, more people having days out rather than holidays, and more visitors from abroad because of the cheaper pound.
“It hasn’t happened by luck.
“Our marketing has been geared towards taking advantage of these recession opportunities and we won an award for it.
“The city is also a great product with attractive events such as White Night and the Brighton Marathon pulling in visitors.
“Local businesses have played a huge part, continuing their investment and development of staff to ensure that visitors who come have a great welcome.”
