Tourism boom lifts Lancashire economy

The latest annual tourism figures have risen by 4.5 per cent .

And jobs in the sector have increased by 2.6 per cent to over 59,000.

The visitor economy is now worth £4.1 billion to the county.

Visitors on day trips to Lancashire have increased by 4.7 per cent to 58.9million.

The news is also positive for the county’s accommodation providers, as visitors choosing to stay for short breaks and holidays have also increased with the average stay three nights.

Ruth Connor, Chief Executive of Marketing Lancashire said: “We’re delighted to see another successive year of growth in visitor numbers as well as a marked year on year increase in both economic impact and jobs, endorsing the very valuable contribution that tourism continues to make to Lancashire’s prosperity.

“Our visitor economy strategy aims to see visitor numbers reach 70 million by 2020.”

Mark Partington, managing director at Ribby Hall Village, Wrea Green, said: “We have enjoyed a fantastic year at Ribby Hall Village.

“As well as welcoming new visitors we have also been delighted to welcome repeat visitors”

Recently, figures also showed tourism was worth £1.44bn to booming Blackpool’s economy last year.