We embark on an annual collation of regular data providing comparable annual performance, which can be benchmarked against regional competitors. STEAM is a tourism economic impact modelling process which enables us to measure tourism using local data, tourism performance and visitor survey data. The results allow us to monitor the impact of tourism across Northumberland.
The research that we gain from the report allows us to establish the impact of our activity and helps us to develop and grow.
Headline figures for key metrics for 2024 are as follows:
Visitor expenditure
Northumberland’s visitor economy has reached a significant milestone in 2024, achieving full post-COVID recovery a year ahead of forecast.
- Economic Impact: The total economic impact of tourism in Northumberland reached £1.443 billion, up 9.0% on 2023 and 3.2% higher than pre-pandemic records of 2019 when adjusted for inflation.
- Direct Expenditure: Direct visitor spend totalled £1.071 billion, an increase of 8.8% on 2023 and 3.1% above 2019 (inflation-adjusted).
Visitor Volume and Days
Growth is underpinned by a strong performance across both day and staying visitors with average length of stay for overnight visitors continues to steadily climb (4.2 nights in 2024 vs 4.1 in 2023).
- All Visitors:
- Visitor Numbers: 10.46 million (+3.4% on 2023, -2.1% on 2019)
- Staying Visitors:
- Visitor Numbers: 1.863 million (+0.5% on 2023, -3.4% on 2019)
- Visitor Days: 7.874 million (+2.8% on 2023, -3.0% on 2019)
- Day Visitors:
- Visitor Numbers / Days: 8.601 million (+4.1% on 2023, -1.8% on 2019)
- Visitor Days: 16.47 million (+3.5% on 2023, -2.3% on 2019)
Visitor Spend
In 2024, Northumberland outperformed regional and national domestic spend per trip metrics (Tyne and Wear £233.05; England £305; Britain £312).
The average spend per visit for overnight visitors is £381.15, an increase of 17.2% (up from £327.98 in 2023) and 46.4% higher than the pre-COVID 2019 figure of £260.51.
The average day visitor spent £41.92, an increase of 4.9% (up from £39.96 in 2023). Day visit numbers and spend remain around 2.8% lower than 2019 levels.
Employment
The Northumberland visitor economy supports 14,545 jobs across heritage sites, visitor attractions, hospitality, and parks.
- Total Employment: 14,545 FTEs, down 0.7% on 2023 and 7.9% below 2019 levels.
- Direct Employment: 11,594 Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs), a 2.9% decrease from 2023 and 11.3% lower than 2019.
Sector Highlights
- Food and Drink remains the largest contributor to the visitor economy:
- Economic Impact Share: 45.9% of total impact
- Employment: 5,018 FTEs, making it the largest employment sector in tourism
The STEAM volume and Value research is compiled on our behalf by GTS Solutions using industry-standard analytical methods.
Purchase the Northumberland Volume and Value Data
Visit Northumberland has over a decade of historical trend data at its disposal.
The full report contains information on the volume and value of tourism to the county of Northumberland in 2024, with analysis comparing back to 2023 and the pre-pandemic 2019. This covers detailed analysis of:
- Comparative Headlines
- Economic Impact
- Visitor Numbers
- Visitor Days
- Employment
- Key Measures
- Sectoral Analysis
- Annual Impact Distribution by Visitor Type
- Monthly Impact Distribution by Visitor Type
- Accommodation Supply by Type of Establishment
Visit Northumberland partners are able to access a PDF data set as a partnership benefit.
Please request your copy by emailing partnership@visitnorthumberland.com to verify your partnership status.
Non-partners, consultants, planners and anyone seeking more detailed analytical data can purchase a copy of the Y-o-Y comparison pdf document for £150+VAT, with a full 10-year comparison excel spreadsheet report available for £350+VAT.
Please contact neil.carney@visitnorthumberland.com to discuss your needs.
