The latest tourism figures for Greater Lincolnshire show a mixed picture for the industry.
While the 2022 STEAM figures show a definite improvement on the 2021 figures, it is estimated that visitors to the area were still lower than pre-Covid levels.
In total there were 30.82m visits made to Greater Lincolnshire in 2022, 16.8% more than in 2021, but 7.8% lower than 2016 levels. The overall value of the visitor economy has increased by £0.59bn (28.9%) from 2021 to £2.62bn in 2022.
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for tourism at the county council, said: “It’s clear that the recovery from the Covid pandemic is going to be slow, with the additional cost challenges the industry, and many households, are facing.
“As a council we have provided significant support to the sector and continue to do so. With an immediate grant and funding programme during the pandemic, investment in our Visit Lincolnshire website including a new section for tourism businesses, and ongoing support offered through our Business Lincolnshire support programme, we are determined to help all we can.”
Other key findings in the latest data are:
- Economic impact is about £150m higher than 2019 levels. £1.9bn is ‘direct expenditure’ in the tourism and retail sector; £0.71bn is indirect expenditure.
- Employment supported by the sector is about in line with 2016 – following the visitor numbers trend. 28,215 people are supported by the visitor economy sector and adjacent sectors.
- Staying visitors account for 55% of the economic impact, but 15% of the total visitor numbers. An average staying visitor spends £305 in Greater Lincolnshire.
- 26m people visited tourist sites in Greater Lincolnshire during 2022, worth £1.17m to the economy. An average day visitor spends £45 in a visit to Greater Lincolnshire.
- 1.16m visitors stayed in serviced accommodation during 2022, below 2018 and 2019 levels. 1.86m visitors stayed in non-serviced accommodation.
A range of resources, funding opportunities, and business advice is available at www.business.visitlincolnshire.com to help businesses enhance their offerings, improve customer experiences, and achieve sustainable growth.
Guidance is also available through Business Lincolnshire’s specialist Retail, Leisure and Hospitality Business Adviser, Hayley Toyne. For more information visit www.businesslincolnshire.com/contact
The figures within this release are estimates produced through the STEAM model, owned and operated by Global Tourism Solutions (GTS). GTS is an independent tourism research company with over twenty-five years’ experience.