Tourism in decline in Cumbria as county sees 14% drop since 2019
The statistics are produced from the Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor, commonly known as 'STEAM' and released by Cumbria Tourism in partnership with Cumberland Council, Westmorland & Furness Council and the Lake District National Park Authority.
Also in comparison to 2019 the number of day visitors to Cumbria have fallen by 18%.
What are some of the key statistics compared to the previous 12 months?
Visitor numbers are down 3.3% and visitor days down 5%
Revenue is down by 5.7% once adjusted for inflation
Staying visitor nights fell by 6.3%
Day visitors fell by 4% - the equivalent loss of 1.42 million visits
President of Cumbria Tourism Jim Walker says: "Cumbria's £4.6billion tourism and hospitality industry is made up of hundreds of small businesses who make a huge contribution to other sectors, including transport and the wider supply chain.
"They also help to create the assets that make Cumbria such a special place to live and work for our local communities.
"However, this latest data clearly demonstrates that - after the economic shock of the pandemic and subsequent government policy changes around immigration and taxation - long-term recovery is proving extremely challenging for these vital visitor economy businesses as they face reduced visitor numbers coupled with increasing costs.
"Ultimately, this means less profitability and ability to employ and re-invest."
In Cumbria more than half of the revenue made from tourism comes from visitors staying overnight in the county.
The percentage of revenue generated outwith of the traditional summer months also increased from 38.9% in 2024 compared to 36.1% in 2023.
Where do tourists spend their money in Cumbria?
President of Cumbria Tourism Jim Walker added: "Cumbria has a shared Destination Management Plan, which public and private partners are collectively ambitious to deliver, enabling sustainable growth for the benefit of the whole of the whole of the county and its communities.
"At the moment, a combination of the cost of living crisis and a series of unlinked and uncoordinated national policy changes are seriously damaging business profitability, the economy, jobs and therefore communities.
"We are determined to work in partnership with others to help to stabilise and improve this situation."
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