Tourism in Blackpool soars to all-time high

New figures have revealed that the seaside town received over 20 million visitors in 2022, 1.5 million more than the previous year.

Tourism figures from the annual STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) report, which analyses data from tourism and hospitality businesses, show that Blackpool has made a solid recovery post-pandemic. 

The total figure of 20.33 million is more than double the figure recorded in 2020 when pandemic restrictions on tourism were at the most severe and 12% higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

 
Councillor Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said the figures for 2022 reflected the ongoing commitment to investing in large-scale events and marketing.
 
Cllr Williams added: “We clearly had an advantage in 2021 because people in the UK were largely restricted to domestic holidays and we were determined to capitalise on that opportunity.
 
“It is extremely encouraging that we have not just retained the numbers that we attracted in that initial bounce-back year, but shown growth in 2022.
 
“That is on the back of some brilliant partnership working across the resort which has seen the launch of new events, more impactful marketing and an extension of the tourism season into November and December.”

Across Lancashire as a whole, the report shows that visitor numbers are showing strong recovery across all districts, but have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. The exception is Blackpool where the number of visitors has sky-rocketed. 

The report, which evaluates the volume and value of visitors to Lancashire, shows that Blackpool accounted for more than 30% of all visits to the county last year. 

It values the town's tourism economy at more than £1.7bn, compared to £1.4bn in 2021, supporting more than 22,000 jobs. 

The gains made during 2022 were fuelled largely by the return of hugely popular events such as the Air Show Weekend, another two-month extension of the autumn Illuminations and an expansion of the wildly successful Christmas By The Sea village.

There was also a £1m investment in a multi-media marketing campaign for the town, featuring a new TV ad starring 'resort ambassador,' Nigel C Gull, a lovable seagull puppet voiced by actor and comedian Johnny Vegas.
 
That advertising campaign incorporated TV, video on demand, digital and radio, and was co-funded by Blackpool Council, Merlin Entertainments and Blackpool’s Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID).

This year to date, the resort has seen record numbers attending its free events programme, including the two-day Air Show, three world fireworks events, the award-winning Lightpool Festival, and an Illuminations Switch-On event that featured a Nickelodeon float parade along the Golden Mile.
 
The Christmas By The Sea event, which includes a free skating rink, artificial snowfalls, light projection shows, log cabins and large-scale light installations is open daily (bar Christmas Day) until January 1, complemented by six miles of Illuminations along the seafront.