Newcastle sees big increase in overnight visitors as new tourism figures released
Newcastle & Gateshead has seen the biggest rise in overnight visitors in the region, according to new figures released this week.
Overnight visitor numbers are up 2.4% on the previous year, a 9.6% increase over 2019’s figures, according to the report.
And it’s hoped that new luxury accommodation like the recently opened Dakota on the Quayside and the city’s first 5-Star Gotham Hotel, which opens later this year, will attract more overnight visitors keen to indulge in the new premium offer.
The figure is part of the latest STEAM results report, which showed that the North East’s visitor economy is now worth than more than £6.6 billion to the region as a whole.
STEAM stands for Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor and is a tourism economic impact modelling process which approaches the measurement of tourism from the bottom up, through its use of local supply side data and tourism performance and visitor survey data collection.
The major study which tracked visits to the region’s attractions and accommodation providers throughout 2024 has shown an increase in the number of people staying overnight in the region, as England’s first Destination Development Partnership continues work on ambitions to unlock growth across the visitor economy.
Visitor economy leaders have welcomed the uplift in overnight stays, which it attributes to the region’s activity and amplification in international markets, including Italy, India, Germany, the US as well as Nordic countries, a comprehensive travel trade programme, investment in new attractions and a bumper year for business events and conferences.
Growth in overnight visits has been reported right across the region’s seven local authority areas, indicating more people are visiting the region for longer, with the average length of stays also up across the patch.
Northumberland and Durham has seen a rise in its day visits, however, with day visits down in other parts of the region, it’s led to a decrease in the overall number of visits to North East England.
Challenges with tracking visits to the region’s beaches, parks and open spaces mean day visits to some of our most cherished tourism assets are not fully represented in the data.
Despite difficult trading conditions for tourism and hospitality businesses, the sector continues to support a large number of jobs with over 62,800 people employed in roles across the industry.
The visitor economy features heavily in the North East Combined Authority’s Interim Local Growth Plan which provides a roadmap for how a devolved North East will approach its growth targets over the coming years. The North East Combined Authority, in parallel with Destination North East England has ambitions to increase value of the visitor economy to £10bn by 2034.
Elsewhere in the region
Sunderland has also seen its overnight visits increase, building on a strong performance in 2023. The seaside city welcomed 840,000 overnight visitors in 2024, and this is further boosted with the recent launch of a ten-year tourism strategy and a dedicated seafront BID to champion its renowned coastline and ever-transforming Riverside Sunderland.
North Tyneside’s distinctive visitor economy provision which includes a raft of premium hospitality spots and unique active tourism experiences centred around the coast has seen its overnight visitors generate a significant uptick in economic impact, a whopping 46% increase over pre-pandemic levels.
Across the water, South Tyneside has also seen a small increase in its overnight visitors, with the area continuing to invest in its visitor offer with free events like the popular This is South Tyneside festival, and the iconic finish line of The Great North Run attracting thousands of visitors to the coast.
Significant investment in new and refreshed attractions in both Durham and Northumberland has contributed to positive increases in both overnight and day-visitor numbers, with new attractions like The Auckland Project in County Durham and Ad Gefrin in Northumberland leading the charge. Multi-million-pound developments at the region’s most visited attraction Beamish Museum have also helped Durham attract over 21.6 million visitors in 2024.
As a result of the investment, both counties in addition to overnight visitor growth have also seen a big leap in the number of day visitors, up 7.5% and 4.1% respectively. Meanwhile, Northumberland has recorded significant growth in the economic contribution made from its 1.883 million staying visitors, recording an 11.7% increase over last year, and 5.9% higher than 2019's pre-pandemic levels.
England’s first Destination Development Partnership
John Marshall, Chair of Destination North East England said:“I’m pleased to see our approach as England’s first Destination Development Partnership is helping to attracting more overnight stays and increasing the sector’s overall economic impact to over £6.6 billion.
“From partnership working with VisitBritain and industry, increased engagement with the international travel trade to the fantastic work of our Convention Bureau who work hard to attract high-spending business travellers, Destination North East England is continuing to support our visitor economy and transform North East England into a world-class visitor destination.”
Destination North East England is led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative on behalf of the region, working with delivery partners Visit Northumberland and Visit County Durham and in partnership with all seven local authorities to unlock the growth potential of the visitor economy.
The partnership was awarded a new round of government funding in April 2025, to continue its work in areas such as accessibility and inclusion, regenerative tourism, skills and product development.