Tourism adds £1.2bn to county's economy

Holy Island attracts up to a million visitors a year

Two new visitor attractions may have helped boost a county's annual visitor numbers back above 10 million, research suggests.

Lilidorei, a huge play park in Alnwick, and Ad Gefrin in Wooler, a whisky distillery and museum, both opened in Northumberland in spring 2023.

The latest annual Steam report concluded tourism added £1.2bn to the county's economy in 2023, up 7% from 2022.

But figures are still approximately 5% below pre Covid-19 levels.

Andrew Fox, chair of Visit Northumberland said he felt "cautious optimism".

"Visitor numbers are still 5.3% lower and the economic impact remains 5.4% behind pre-pandemic levels when indexed to take inflation into account,” he said.

"But we are delighted to see numbers grow, with day visitors up 2.7% with events like the Alnwick Winter Light trail attracting people even out of season."

Lilidorei in Alnwick is claimed to be the world's biggest play park

Michael Dawson, who runs a number of restaurants and pubs in Northumberland, including the Craster Arms in Beadnell, agrees that numbers are increasing.

"We've been pretty busy but what I am noticing is that people are spending a bit less in our restaurants," he said.

"I think the cost of living crisis means people are being a bit more careful."

The data suggests tourism is doing well across the region.

The seven local authorities covered by the organisation Destination North East England welcomed over 69 million visitors, an increase of 5% on 2022.

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