Blackpool's post-pandemic bounce back confirmed with record visitor numbers

Blackpool’s post-pandemic recovery has been revealed in new tourism figures published today.

The annual STEAM report, which analyses data from tourism and hospitality businesses, shows that the resort attracted a record number of almost 19million visitors in 2021 – despite losing the first four months of the year to COVID lockdowns and restrictions.
 
The total figure of 18.81m is more than double the figure recorded in 2020 when pandemic restrictions on tourism were at the most severe level and 4% higher than the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
 
The report, which evaluates the volume and value of visitors to Lancashire, shows that Blackpool accounted for almost 40% of all visits to the county in 2021. It values the resort’s tourism economy at more than £1.4bn, supporting in excess of 20,000 jobs.
 
Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said the figures reflected the huge commitment made by the local authority in helping businesses through the pandemic. This included a two-month extension to the Illuminations season and a £1m investment in marketing and events to kick-start the tourism, retail and hospitality industry as it emerged from COVID restrictions.
 
Cllr Williams said: “Given the near catastrophic impact of those restrictions during 2020 and the first few months of 2021, we were determined to give our tourism and hospitality businesses every opportunity to hit the ground running.
 
“By utilising business support monies, we were able to stage the most ambitious autumn and winter programme of events we have ever attempted – and the publication of today’s STEAM figures shows how much that investment paid off.”
 
The autumn and winter programme included a new Christmas By The Sea event which ran on the Tower Festival Headland from mid-November to the New Year and included a free skating rink, artificial snowfalls, light projection shows, log cabins and large-scale light installations. Over the duration of that event, there was a 75% increase in footfall on the seafront compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
 
Cllr Williams said that on the back of last year’s recovery, the resort was seeking to build on the foundations laid in 2021 with a repeat of the two-month extension to the Illuminations season and the return of the Christmas By The Sea village in November thanks to support from the new Tourism Business Improvement District and sponsorship from TalkTalk.