Brighton is best known as one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations. Tourism has been integral to the city’s economic development since it became popular in the 19th century when it grew rapidly with the arrival of the railway in 1841. Brighton’s increasing popularity as a fashionable tourist destination saw it expand to include nearby Hove in 1997, eventually gaining city status in 2000.
Brighton & Hove is a tourist city, the visitor economy keeps the destination thriving year-round and helps to make it such a special place to live, work and study.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on the city’s visitor economy, which includes tourism, hospitality, events, attractions, and heritage. Many business owners, employees, and freelancers have seen their livelihoods catastrophically impacted as they have been forced to close, partially re-open, then re-close again, or have remained closed during successive lockdowns.
As Brighton & Hove’s hospitality industry bounces back from the pandemic and visitor numbers continue to rise, a new Tourism Recovery Plan is being launched to build on this success, support the recovery and promote the city as a safe and welcoming year-round destination.
Let’s take a look at the city's tourism statistics and trends.
PRE & POST PANDEMIC TRENDS
- Tourism is thriving and Brighton & Hove outperforms its peers in volume and value and in the number of tourism jobs it supports.
- Brighton has a reputation as a vibrant UK city known for its nightlife and social inclusivity.
- Brighton receives almost twice as many day visitors as Bournemouth, Cambridge, or Southend.
- The most popular main attraction for tourists is Brighton Pier followed by the British Airways i360 and the Royal Pavilion.
- Conferences account for 154,000 trips to Brighton.
- The Covid-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on the city’s visitor economy, which includes tourism, hospitality, events, attractions, and heritage.
- As Brighton & Hove’s hospitality industry bounces back from the pandemic and visitor numbers continue to rise, a new Tourism Recovery Plan is being launched to build on this success, support the recovery and promote the city as a safe and welcoming year-round destination.
- Brighton welcomes over 9.5m day visitors each year accounting for just over 85% of all visitors to the city.
- The total number of nights spent in Brighton by domestic visitors in 2019 increased from 2.87 million bed nights to 3.15 million bed nights (an increase of 10% compared to 2018).
- In 2019, Brighton had 10.7 million day trips and 1.6 million overnight visits.
- Brighton received over 12 million visitors in 2019 and tourism contributed an estimated £976.4m to the local economy.
- VisitBrighton is the Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for Brighton & Hove.
- Brighton is positioned as ‘vibrant, colorful and creative’, with a thriving culture scene, iconic attractions, great shopping, award-winning restaurants, and easy access to the stunning Sussex countryside, including the South Downs National Park, home to the dramatic Seven Sisters cliffs.
- Brighton's tourism sector supports 23,233 jobs, both for local residents and those living nearby.
- The months with the lowest number of tourists to Brighton are January and February.
- The largest number of tourists visiting Brighton is during July and August.
- Brighton remains one of the most popular day trip destinations from London for foreign visitors.
- The City has over 100 hotels and guest houses providing over 9000-bed spaces for every night of the year.
- Brighton hosts the UK’s largest Pride event every August and Europe’s first Trans Pride is held there.
- The City has been a tourist destination for 250 years and was one of the first destinations to develop in Europe.
- Day visitors and conference tourism account for the strong performance of tourism in Brighton.
- Brighton is the most popular city for same-sex weddings and you can see rainbow flags everywhere. All these give Brighton that special mix of diversity and acceptance.
- Brighton and Hove is a seaside tourism-based economy and the jobs of many rely on the city projecting a tourist-friendly image.
- The city’s visitor economy, which includes tourism, hospitality, events, attractions, and heritage, is widely acknowledged as having been badly damaged by the pandemic.
- The City has world-renowned attractions from the Royal Pavilion to the Pier, The Sealife Centre to The Volks. It has entertainment venues including the Theatre Royal and The Dome and cultural events including over 56 festivals per year.
- The three main countries of origin of overseas visitors were: Germany, Netherlands, and USA.
- Day visitors tend to come at weekends, in the summer months, and for big festivals and events.
- Visitors to Brighton & Hove are happy with their experience of the city. Of those surveyed, both day and overnight visitors rated the overall enjoyment of their visit to the city highly at 8.71 out of 10.
- The most popular activity for visitors was going to the beach and seafront, followed by eating out, exploring independently, visiting a tourist attraction, and shopping.
- Those visiting the city for a conference are among the highest spenders with an average of £254.57 spent within a 24-hour period.
- The city competes directly for some very significant major conferences against cities such as Belfast, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham.
- Many of the jobs in hotels, cafés, and bars are seasonal and low-paid, taken up by people who come to Brighton to work temporarily, frequently from EU countries.
- Destinations across England are increasingly working together to find creative and cost-effective ways to access new markets, in particular international leisure visitors and international conference trips.
- In 2018, Brighton received 1,820 international bednights from international visitors who arrived via Gatwick.
- January is the month with the lowest hotel prices in Brighton. In contrast, August is statistically the most expensive month of the year for hotels.
- Brighton resources are stretched at peak times. At peak times the city center can feel like it’s bursting at the seams with day visitors.
- The city council is spending £1 million to improve the look and feel of Brighton and Hove.
- Brighton Greeters is a free program that connects visitors with a volunteer local guide. The guide will spend two hours showing visitors around the city on a personalized tour.
- Brighton is unofficially known as the queer capital of the UK, and most of the gay and lesbian nightlife is in the Kemptown neighborhood along St. James Street.
- While the UK is one of the most expensive countries in the world, Brighton is more affordable than other cities thanks to its cheap pubs, public parks, free beaches, and affordable hostels.
