Coronavirus: Kent’s visitor numbers halved by Covid fallout

Visit Kent's report showed a 50% decrease in visitors to the county in 2020 compared to 2019

Covid-19 caused visitor numbers to halve in Kent in 2020 compared to the previous year, a report has found.

The Visit Kent report showed a 50% fall in visitors from 2019 to 2020 as it exposed the dire economic impact.

It also found a 61% fall in tourism income, from £4bn in 2019 to just over £1.6bn in 2020.

Deirdre Wells, CEO of Visit Kent, said there needed to be continued long-term support from government to help the ailing sector.

• Holiday bookings jump as Covid travel tests axed

• How the pandemic has changed the world economy

• How are travel rules being relaxed?

The research also showed a drop of 39% in the number of jobs in the sector from about 50,000 in 2019 to 36,000 the following year.

Ms Wells said: "This latest research is a stark demonstration of the direct impact on Kent's brilliant tourism, leisure and hospitality sector, which is one of our county's biggest employers, and the life and soul of our high streets."

She said long-term support from central government was needed to "enable sustainable recovery" in the sector.

The Economic Impact Study reported £106 million was spent in the tourism and hospitality sector each month in 2020 compared to £278 million in 2019.

Kent County Council leader Roger Gough said: "The visitor economy is vital to Kent, both in terms of business and employment, and in showcasing the great things that the Garden of England has to offer.

"The Economic Impact Study shows the drastic effect of the pandemic and lockdown, but also the resilience of the sector in the face of this adversity."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].