New research has revealed the severe initial impact on a borough's visitor economy from Covid-19 which saw the number of tourists drop by more than half.

Visit Kent’s latest Economic Impact Model for 2020 published today shows a decline of 51.9% in visitors overall compared to 2019 in Gravesham.

The borough has also seen a 62.5% decline in value for their visitor economy.

The latest figures provide a detailed picture of the impact on Gravesham’s tourism and hospitality sector since the start of the pandemic.

When the first national lockdown was imposed in March 2020, the country was told people must stay at home and were only allowed outside for limited reasons including food shopping, exercise once per day, medical need and travelling for work when absolutely necessary - therefore putting a stop to the tourism industry.

The study measured the volume and value of tourism within the county in 2020, and the effect of visits and visitor expenditure on the local economy.

In Gravesham, the number of tourism jobs almost halved between 2019 to 2020 accounting for 5% of total employment.

Independent research, commissioned by Kent’s official Destination Management Organisation, also revealed that £3 million was spent on average in the local economy each month in 2020, as a direct result of the region’s tourism and hospitality industry, compared to £8 million on average in 2019.

Visit Kent chief executive Deirdre Wells OBE said: "After a strong performance in 2019, our sector’s bold plans for 2020 were utterly disrupted by the Covid-19 crisis.

"This latest research is a stark demonstration of the direct impact on Gravesham’s brilliant tourism, leisure, and hospitality sector, which is one of the district’s biggest employers, and the life and soul of our high streets.

"The findings from 2020’s Economic Impact Study demonstrate exactly why our industry continues to need long-term support from central government, to enable a sustainable destination recovery.

"We are extremely grateful to our Kent residents who have shown unwavering levels of support to their local businesses throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. From eating out to help out and pledges of support, to venue visits with loved ones and switching up their shopping habits, the sense of pride throughout the county has kept our industry going through these unprecedented times."

While the tourism and hospitality picture was exceptionally challenging in 2020, these latest findings do show that the county’s visitor economy performed above the national average across several areas.

When looking specifically at trip purpose, the proportion of those travelling to visit friends and relatives overnight in Kent during 2020 rose by 5%, showing the influence that ongoing support from residents had on local businesses during a difficult year.

The actions of the county's locals is strengthened further by findings from a separate study conducted by Visit Kent into residents' perceptions of the impact of tourism across the Garden of England.

It highlighted that 88% of those surveyed during the summer of 2020 supported tourism in their local area.

The same study showed that 80% of respondents felt as though tourism can improve local investment and development opportunities, and 67% considered their local area to be a tourist destination.

For Gravesham in particular, holidays accounted for the largest proportion of overnight trips, rising since 2019.

Cllr Shane-Mochrie Cox, Gravesham Borough Council cabinet member for community and leisure, said: "While these figures show the inevitable decline in tourism due to lockdowns, they also reveal some encouraging bounce back, showing the entrepreneurship and resilience of our businesses and community.

"We work with local businesses and communities via Destination Gravesham, our long-term Tourism and Heritage Strategy, to create new and innovative experiences for our borough, to showcase and celebrate our heritage where we can, and to capitalise on the new trends of day trips, short stays and staycations so visitors can experience the best we have to offer in Gravesham."

The release of the county’s latest Economic Impact findings coincides with Kent’s recent recognition by global travel authority Lonely Planet, which named Kent’s Heritage Coast as number four on a list of the world’s best regions to visit in 2022.

This latest accolade is particularly welcome as Kent’s tourism and hospitality sector, which was worth £4.1 billion to the local economy pre-pandemic, works hard to rebuild for the future.

Deirdre continued: "Our partners in Gravesham, and across the county, have been working extremely hard over the last 18 months to welcome visitors back safely and to continue providing a first-class experience, with many proudly displaying VisitBritain's We're Good to Go kitemark as a way of re-assuring customers and staff that processes are in place to welcome them back with confidence.

"We are hugely honoured to see Kent’s Heritage Coast cited as one of Lonely Planet’s best travel destinations for this year.

"This award coincides with Visit Kent’s 20th anniversary and marks the biggest year to date in terms of the long-term recovery of our region’s tourism and hospitality sector.

"Accolades such as Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel are exceptionally important for reminding visitors of exactly what makes our corner of the world so special.

"Thanks to incredible collaborations county-wide, we are confident that we can build a vibrant, sustainable, and resilient industry for the future, together."

To access the full Gravesham Tourism Economic Impact Study 2020 report, along with a selection of district-specific reports, click here.