Tourism boosted Great Yarmouth economy by more than £630 million last year

Tourism generated more than £630,000 million for the Great Yarmouth area economy last year (2022) – nearly £200 million more than the previous year.

Beaches, attractions, entertainment and heritage across the destination attracted more than 7.5million visits by holidaymakers and day trippers in 2022 injecting a total of £631,062,890 to the borough’s economy.

Figures from the independent Cambridge Model report reveal more than 2.5 million more visits last year than in 2021 with visitors spending nearly £1/2 billion (£467 million) last year compared to £322 million in 2021.

The report also highlights tourism as a significant employment sector. Almost 30 per cent of jobs in the borough were created by tourism last year, supporting nearly 10,000 (9,377) full time equivalent jobs, an increase from 6,960 in 2021.

A total of 12,646 people worked in jobs related to tourism and hospitality last yar, compared to 9,404 in 2021, representing 28.7% of the borough’s total employment last year.

The report paints a positive picture of the Great Yarmouth area’s post pandemic recovery and its potential.

Asa Morrison, chief executive of Visit Great Yarmouth, said he had expected a rise across the board in 2022 because pandemic restrictions had remained in 2021.

“The 2022 figures illustrate the extent of the recovery, as well as the significant proportion of employment generated by tourism across the borough.”

“This summer, businesses reported a higher volume of visitors enjoying what our destination has to offer, although they were more cautious with spending, which is a direct impact of the cost-of-living challenges and the pressures on families’ finances, which we all understand.

Continued investment in tourism infrastructure, by individual businesses improving their customer experience, and the opening of the new Marina Centre were attracting more visitors to the borough.

The Cambridge Model examines the volume and value of tourism and the impact of that expenditure on the local economy.

Headline figures for 2022 recorded 4,018,000 total staying nights compared to 2,964,000 in 2021 with people staying overnight spending a total of £252,743,000 compared to £174,129,000 in 2021.

The number of day trips to Great Yarmouth reached 6,570,000 compared to 4,078,000, in 2021 with day visitors spending a total of £217,042, 000 compared to £143,156,000.

The results are calculated by adding associated spending on top of visitor spend. Associated spending includes maintenance investment on second homes and holiday homes, boats, static caravans and household spending. Associated spending totalled £25,842,744 in 2021.

The total visitor spend in Great Yarmouth last year was £321,789,744, which was 55% higher last year than in 2020, but, because of the impact of the pandemic, was 33% less than 2019.