The latest figures show that visitor numbers to the Lancaster and Morecambe District are on the up.
Official STEAM statistics released on Friday show that visitors to the District rose to 6.96m in 2023, up from 6.87m the previous year.
The economic impact of those visitors also went up from 542m to 597m, although this showed a 2.87 per cent year-on-year drop when allowing for rising inflation.
Only Blackpool had higher visitor numbers than the Lancaster District among the 14 Lancashire council areas which also include Blackburn, Preston and Burnley.
"It is great to see such positive visitor numbers again and, as we move closer to the opening of the Eden Project, these figures should continue on an upward trend," said Mark Prada, from Bay Tourism Association which supports local tourism businesses.
"This is yet more good news for the economic revival of Morecambe and the surrounding Bay area."
The county’s annual STEAM report, released by Marketing Lancashire, evaluates the volume and value of visitors to Lancashire.
It analyses data from hospitality and tourism businesses gathered in 2023 and shows that visitors to Lancashire rose overall to 66.7m, up by 2.8% on previous 2022 figures.
Visitor numbers have recovered steadily over the past four years and are now only 3.0 per cent below pre-Covid figures.
Below, Lancaster Castle is a popular visitor attraction
The report also reveals 83 million visitor days were generated across the county in 2023, an additional one million visitor days compared with visitor days generated in 2022; bucking the slow recovery trend for day visitors typically seen across the rest of the UK since the Covid pandemic.
Despite the rise in visitors and visitor days, the value of tourism activity in the region was estimated to be £5.4bn, compared with £4.8bn in 2022, which represents a marginal decrease in real terms of -1.2% when indexed to allow for rising inflation.
Lancashire’s visitor economy also supported a total of 57,311 Full-Time Equivalent jobs (FTEs) in 2023; an increase of 4.6% on the year before.
In the Lancaster and Morecambe District, this figure rose to 6,116 from 5,897 in 2022.
“We are pleased to see the number of visitors to Lancashire continue to grow and the number of visitor days increase by one million in 2023," said Vikki Harris, marketing and partnerships director for Marketing Lancashire.
“At -2.5% behind pre-Covid visitor days, compared to the rest of England at -25% visitor days, Lancashire is clearly showing a faster recovery from the impact of the pandemic on tourism.
“In the last year we have seen new attraction and hotel openings, new restaurants and visitor experiences, so we would consider the sector to be relatively stable, despite the significant cost of living challenges faced by businesses and consumers.
“Alongside our district partners, we will continue to do everything in our power to support the sector and help grow new domestic and international visitors, with a specific focus on accessibility and sustainability; promoting Lancashire as a place that welcomes everyone and a destination that consistently offers good value days out and quality short breaks."
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