Tourism By Numbers
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Street Theatre
During the Brighton Festival
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The business side of tourism is awash with numbers,
statistics, facts and figures. Apparently there is an insatiable
need to measure pleasure. Brighton is an historic tourist resort, with
two and a half centuries of tourist history. Tourism is the city's third
oldest industry, after fishing and farming. Of course, farming is no
longer a part of the economy, apart from a few council-owned tenant farms.
In the mid eighteenth century Brighton was a declining
fishing town when Dr Russell of Lewes set up shop at what is now the
Royal Albion Hotel, and turned brighton into a health resort with his
new-fangled sea water cures. Entertainment soon became as important
as treatment, and when the Prince Regent decided to build himself a seaside
palace in the town, Brighton's course was set. The arrival of the railway
in 1841 turned the town into a mass tourist destination.
But Brighton has always had to reinvent itself in order
to stay ahead in the tourist game, and the current civic and business
leaders of the city are well aware of this imperative.
Tourism today
in all its shapes, guises and disguises is an important part of national
economic activity. Nationally, tourism accounts for 3.5% of economic
activity, £74.2 billion (in 2003). In 2005 there were 30 million overseas
visitors. There are about 1.4 million tourist jobs (5% of the total)
which is more than in construction or transport.
"A DIFFERENT KIND OF CITY
… A UNIQUE DESTINATION"
"By 2014 we want to be …
An international seaside city on a human scale
Proud of and defined by its difference
Original, independent, alternative
Creative, vibrant, exciting
Relaxing, refreshing, invigorating, inspiring
Young at heart – and for the young at heart
Trendsetting, innovative, and in tune with the zeitgeist."
from the City Council Tourism Strategy 2004
The Numbers |
Total number of visitors to the city |
8 million+ per year |
2nd most popular destination for foreign tourists after
London in 2005 |
155,000 foreign tourists |
Royal Pavilion visitors |
320,000 per year |
Brighton Pier visitors |
3.75 million per year |
England's largest arts festival - in May |
700+ events over 3 weeks |
Restaurants - more per head than anywhere else in UK but London |
400+ |
Brighton Centre visitors |
750,000 per year |
Number of jobs - direct and indirect |
c13,000 (7,000 F/T) |
Economic value of tourism |
c£380m per annum |
Brighton is regularly a top ten destination in various
tourist surveys |
eg Observer Travel Awards 2005 |
Hotels and guest Houses |
115 |
Bed spaces in hotels and guest houses |
10,000+ |
Total no. of conference delegates - 2005 |
200,000+ |
No. of bedding plants grown in council nurseries |
250,000+ |
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