Drawing from a range of sources, this report provides an overview of the health of the North East’s visitor economy, identifying challenges, opportunities, and trends to inform visitor economy stakeholders.
DNEE has published its Autumn Quarterly Report which takes a first look at trends in credit card spend by travellers, an update on occupancy figures and latest feedback from North East businesses.
Some of the key findings are below.
*In the UK the average spend per transaction for an international visitor using a consumer card is £34, for international travellers using a business / commercial card, it’s £62 – further evidence that business travellers spend more per day.
*Using spend data to measure seasonality, we see Northumberland over-indexes on visits from June to August and under-indexes at the start and end of the year.
*In Northumberland, the top two areas for spending are ‘restaurants and nightlife’ and ‘food and grocery’.
*Northumberland's top international markets by spend are USA, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Germany and Canada.
*Across the UK and North East England, we’re still seeing a decrease in occupancy rate for short-term rentals compared to 2023 and 2019 figures. In comparing to 2019, it’s important to note there are 68% more non-serviced properties in the
region than in 2019.
*The most frequently reported challenges for businesses were the cost of living limiting consumer spend; increased operating costs; and the rise in national minimum wage. Transport and access issues were also mentioned, and the weather is a big factor for many businesses in rural areas. Late booking trends are making it hard to plan e.g. for staffing and food ordering.
