1066 Country reports growth in tourism in 2019

The report by Tourism South East, showed that, in 2019, the total value of tourism activity in 1066 Country is estimated to have been around £704m.

The increase was equivalent to a six per cent rise on 2018.

This income is estimated to have supported more than 16,000 actual jobs, or around 11,460 ‘full-time equivalent’ jobs, because a number of jobs are part-time or seasonal.

Commenting on the data, Kevin Boorman, the manager of 1066 Country Marketing, the private public sector partnership responsible for tourism marketing in the area, said: “Those pre-Covid days of 2019 do seem a long long time ago now.

“But even this year, once we were through the full lockdown, many of our businesses were very busy and indeed we saw overcrowding in some places.

“However, there were other businesses who weren’t able to open immediately, or couldn’t operate to their full capacity, because of Covid restrictions, and indeed some still remain closed.

“Although tourism is likely to look quite different in the short to medium term, and no one at the moment is able to truly predict what is going to happen in the long term, these figures do show the true worth of the area’s visitor economy.

“We have had many anecdotal reports of new types of visitor to 1066 Country this summer, with many more young families, and younger couples, and it is great to welcome these here.

“We hope they will come back to experience all we have to offer again and again.

“It is vital that we plan properly for the future now, and ensure that the new visitors we attracted this year will return.

“We will certainly focus on the domestic marketing of our fantastic product here in 1066 Country, and do all we can to protect the jobs of those 16,000 people currently employed in tourism in our area.”

Recently, three hotels in 1066 Country, namely The Gallivant in Rye, The Bell Hotel in Ticehurst, and Tillingham, near Rye, featured in the Sunday Times Travel list of 80 best places to stay in the UK.

The list was published earlier this month.

This was also just days after Swan House, in Hastings, was chosen as the best B&B in the UK by the Good Hotel Guide.

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