Research in Cumbria
Cumbria is far more dependent on tourism than most other parts of the UK. The county has a wide range of accommodation providers, visitor attractions, heritage sites and outdoor activities.
This presents a complex picture that needs to be monitored and evaluated to ensure the overall destination continues to deliver a compelling world-class visitor experience.
Cumbria Tourism undertakes a wide range of surveys and data collection activities across the county to monitor this complex picture.
Economic Impact of Tourism - Visitor Volume and Value
Cumbria Tourism, along with a number of partners including Cumbria County Council, the district councils, and the Lake District National Park Authority, commission Global Tourism Solutions Ltd to estimate the economic impact of tourism in Cumbria. This is achieved through use of a model called STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor). Through STEAM the county has a continuous tourism economic impact dataset from 2000 to 2008. STEAM uses locally-derived data from a variety of sources including tourist information centres, visitor attractions and events, accommodation bedstocks and occupancy rates. Data is analysed to produce estimates of the number of visitors, visitor days, employment supported by tourism, and revenue generated. Our ‘Cumbria Tourism Volume and Value 2000-2008' report covers the latest tourism trends in Cumbria. To access this report please complete our Research Request Form
Cumbria Tourism's Visitor and Business Research
Accommodation
Monthly occupancy surveys
- Around 500 participants
- Free benchmarking service for businesses
- Compare differences amongst the county's districts Find out more
Business Surveys
Regular industry-wide surveys
- Email and telephone surveys amongst 500 businesses
- The impact of the recession could be felt throughout 2008
- Compare sectors that have been hardest hit Find out more
Research from the NWDA
Topic Reports from the NWDA
The following summary topic reports are available:
- Food & Drink
- Caravanning and Camping
- Recovery Paper
- Implications of the Recession
- How Travel is Booked
- Self-Catering Accommodation
- Budget Hotels
Find out more and download
Visitor Attractions
Visitor numbers monitor
- Top 20 visitor attractions (by visitor numbers)
- Windermere Lake Cruises, Rheged, and Tullie House were the top three
- Compare figures since 1990 Find out more
Visitor Surveys
- County wide visitor surveys
- Individual town benchmark surveys
- International visitor surveys Find out more
Research Statistics from the NWDA and VisitBritain
Regional and national tourism statistics
