Latest news with #ScarboroughTourismEconomicActivityMonitor
ITV News
16-07-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Lake District hotel manager says they 'can't afford to lower prices' as data shows tourism drop
A hotel manager says they 'cannot afford to lower our prices any further' to encourage more footfall, as figures show a 14% drop in Cumbrian tourists since 2019. The sector contributed £4.6bn to the local economy last year, according to Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) data. Cumbria's tourism industry totals almost 75,000 jobs, equalling 28% of the county's workforce. Hotel General Manager Miguel Sanchez, of Windermere Hotel, says they've shortened their opening hours. He said: "We're seeing an increase in people getting takeaways to the hotel or going across the road to the supermarket to buy lunch. "We have seen wages increase massively in the last couple of years. We have the cost of food, utilities increasing as well, so we cannot really lower our prices more. "We are running the hotel with the same number of staff that we had in the winter. But we are 1% down from last year in occupancy. Typically, in the past, visitors would stay three nights, four nights. Now we're seeing a lot of visitors coming for one night or two nights."The number of visitors fell by 3.3% and night stays also fell by 6.3% last year. Daytime tourists are also down by 4% - a loss of 1.42m. James and Ursula White, tourists travelling from Oxford, believe visiting the Lakes is "almost as expensive as going abroad". They said: "Probably even more expensive at times. But it's worth it. I think younger people will have to cut the costs by perhaps not eating out quite so much." "But if you love the Lakes, as we do, you're going to come anyway. And if you can't afford the hotels, then you're going to stay in the B&Bs, the Airbnb, or you're going to camp. "But the draw is the countryside, the lakes, the mountains - it's the beauty of the place."One tourist said: "We noticed it's a little bit more expensive in some aspects than to back in Canada. But it's like up and down."Another visitor added: "We just always bring the dog up and go for nice walks in the rain." Windermere Lake Cruises say visitor revenue is down by 20% in the last five Cormack, from Windermere Lake Cruises, says visitor numbers do not necessarily translate to business income. She said: "Sometimes the area does seem quite busy, but people are here just enjoying it without doing an attraction and without going into a cafe. So people may not get the pint and the packet of crisps that they once did when they get on the boat, or they'll do a smaller boat trip rather than the full boat trip around the lake. "But we've seen an increase in international visitors. And their spending habits are different - they do spend a lot more. So China and India, the recovery is great. "We've still seen a slow recovery from Japan, and the US was big for us, and now, because of difficulties in the US, that business has stopped as well."
ITV News
07-07-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Tourism in decline in Cumbria as county sees 14% drop since 2019
New figures have highlighted the decline of tourism in Cumbria with visitor numbers down 14% compared to 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."
