Visitor Economy Businesses

Defining the visitor economy

The data on this page follows the ONS definition of the visitor economy, which it regards as including accommodation, transport and travel agencies, food and beverage services and cultural, sport and conference activities.

Visitor Economy Businesses

In 2023 there were a total of 6,715 visitor economy businesses in the North East LEP area, a slight decrease from 6,740 in 2022 but still an increase of 16% compared to 2015.

County Durham, Northumberland and Newcastle upon Tyne are the local authorities within the North East LEP that have the largest numbers of visitor economy businesses. 

Unlike some other sectors the number of both micro and larger visitor economy businesses has grown since 2015, by 16% in both cases.

Employment in the visitor economy

Total employment in the visitor economy in the North East LEP has grown slightly since 2015. However, it has declined from a peak or 99,000 in 2020. 

Businesses in the Food and Beverages sector account for the largest proportion of employment within the sector in the North East. This sector accounts for over 60% of employment in the visitor economy in the North East LEP. 

The visitor economy share of total employment varies across the North East LEP, with the sector providing the largest share of employment in the Berwick-Upon-Constituency where it accounts for 25% of total employment. Overall, the sector accounts for slightly more employment in the North East LEP than England excluding London.