Resort's summer parking revenue hit by poor weather

Bad weather and big sporting events have damaged tourism in Blackpool this summer

Poor weather has hit car parking revenue in Blackpool this summer but events such as Christmas-by-the-Sea have boosted income at other times of the year, a report has revealed.

The council's Annual Car Parking Performance Report also showed despite dips in usage, parking revenue for the first part of the current financial year was £150,000 ahead compared to the same time last year.

Parking is seen as an indicator for the visitor economy, and the report warns bad weather as well as big sporting events including the Euros and Paris Olympics have damaged tourism.

But the new central multi-storey was used to full capacity with its 1,306 spaces during the Blackpool Air Show.

The new central multi-storey was used to full capacity during the Blackpool Air Show

The car park opened in May and figures showed up until August, it generated £211,017 in income, with patronage of almost 26,000.

Figures show on-street parking increased by 3,000 users during the 2023/24 financial year.

While fewer people parked on the Promenade (down 5,000 users), this was offset by more people parking in the town centre.

The council said this was "directly linked to the extended Illuminations season and the Christmas By The Sea village which returned to the Tower Festival Headland for a third year, attracting record numbers of visitors over the winter months".

However, the report warned of a disappointing performance between April and August this year, saying: "There is no doubt that weather has been the major factor at play with around 26,000 fewer patrons compared to the same period last year.

"This has been exacerbated by continuing pressures on household budgets and by the staging of both the Euros football tournament and the Paris Olympics in quick succession.

"Evidence shows that major sporting events invariably have a dampening effect on domestic tourism.

"The main impact was in May and June when a long run of poor weather saw significant year-on-year losses."

However despite the downturn parking income was about £150,000 ahead of the previous year due to increases in ticket prices on some car parks.