25/01/13

Kent's tourism boost as visitor numbers soar

by business editor Trevor Sturgess

The economic impact of tourism on the county has soared by 16% in the past five years.

Latest research for Visit Kent also found the number of day visitors rose by 8% and job numbers up 9% over the same period.

Tourism is worth £3.4billion to the Kent and Medway economy and supports more than 64,000 jobs. Some 57 million visitors came to the county in 2011.

But only four million made an overnight stop - with the most popular stopovers being Medway, Canterbury, Swale and Thanet. Dartford, with its nearby Bluewater attraction, also did well.

Sandra Matthews-Marsh, Visit Kent chief executive (pictured right), said there was no doubt investment in major world-class attractions – such as Turner Contemporary in Margate, the Marlowe Theatre and Beaney Museum in Canterbury, the additional features at The Historic Dockyard Chatham and the opening of Cyclopark, near Gravesend – had contributed to the ongoing success of the visitor economy.

"There are many more projects in the pipeline including boutique hotels, proposals for our coastal resorts, the opening of the amusement heritage park in Margate, and the exciting plans for Paramount Park at Ebbsfleet," she said.

But more high-quality accommodation was needed to boost overnight stays.

She added: "Our overnight visitor numbers have only increased by 2% in the past five years, so there is clearly work to be done to match our success in the day visitor market."