Report - Section 4.1

4.1   Tourism in the South East

Tourism is an important economic activity in the UK and in the South East it generates £5.1 billion a year (MAFF, 2000).

Recreational use of the region’s countryside has increased considerably in recent years, with expenditure generated by trips to the countryside and rural tourism contributing significantly to income for rural businesses and local employment. A survey in 1998 estimated that annually some 313 million day trips were made and a total of £2.1 billion was spent by visitors to the countryside of the South East¹¹.

The same survey showed that tourism in the countryside directly employs approximately 65,000 people, with a further 8,000 jobs created indirectly.

In East Sussex, it is estimated that tourism spend by UK residents in 1999 was £259 million, with a further £159 million spent by overseas visitors.

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¹¹ Geoff Broom Associates, 1998, for SEETB