Another year of growth for tourism in Sunderland

New research shows that visitor numbers, visitor spend, and the number of people employed by tourism in the city are all on the increase once again.

The latest statistics received by the City Council through the STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Model) reveals that, for 2023:

• 8.73 million people visited Sunderland, up 3% on 2022
• There were 0.81m overnight visitors, up 6% on 2022
• Economic Impact of Tourism was valued at £596.87m for 2023, up 3.1% on 2022.
• Direct employment in tourism was 4,596 FTEs, up 10.8% on 2022
• The biggest sector within the industry by economic impact is 'Food and Drink' accounting for 38.1% of the total economic impact. 'Food and Drink' is also the largest employer, employing 1,849 FTEs.

STEAM figures include:

• Attraction visitor figures and event attendance figures
• Away fans attending SAFC Home matches (Not home fans)
• Retail spend is included in the figures
• Hotel occupancy and bed stock figures count towards the overnight visitors.

Sunderland saw the highest growth in overnight visitors in the North East region, following a summer of live events like Beyonce and P!nk performing at the Stadium of Light.

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Cllr Michael Mordey, said: "I am delighted to see the continued growth in tourism figures for Sunderland. Tourism is a crucial part of our economy, and it is encouraging to see that the sector continues to grow.

"These figures demonstrate how the fantastic food and drink businesses we have in Sunderland, along with the world-class events we have taking place, are having a real positive impact on our city and its economy."

Large scale events that took place in 2023 in Sunderland included:

• Beyonce's Renaissance world tour stopped off at the Stadium of Light

• P!nk performed two nights at the Stadium of Light as part of her Summer Carnival World Tour

• Sunderland played host to the World Triathlon Championship Series at the seafront

• The Lionesses roared into Sunderland for the UEFA Women's Nation League

• The Festival of Light lit up Mowbray Park in the city centre

• The Christmas lights switch on kicked off the countdown to Christmas in Keel Square

Cllr Mordey continued: "We continue to develop our events programme every year, and in the coming years we have even more to look forward to in Sunderland, including the Women's Rugby World Cup opening in Sunderland in 2025."